I participated in a webinar with Dr. Joan Borysenko this week, and have since been practicing a suggestion she shared. It’s surprisingly powerful!
The suggestion is that we practice being grateful for one new thing every day, just before we go to sleep. We don’t have to be grateful for something big – just find something new each day for which we can be grateful as we fall asleep that night.
Dr. Borysenko reported that the effect of this practice is to greatly enhance our mindful awareness throughout the day, as we’re on the lookout for something new to be grateful for. We’re much more likely to notice little potential sources of joy that we might otherwise overlook.
Trying out this practice myself the last few days, I’ve been surprised to notice another effect as well. Maybe this is just me, but when I ask myself to be grateful for something and let myself be surprised by what pops into my mind, I seem to be coming up with things for which I normally am not at all grateful, things that I normally view very negatively.
For example, one thing that sprang to mind when I asked this question was a feeling of gratitude for the scar on my belly from the C-section I had when my son Dakota was born. My normal attitude is to look at this scar with distaste, thinking how ugly it is and reproaching myself for not having done more to make it heal in a better way.
But this week when I asked myself, “What are you grateful for, that you haven’t been grateful for before?” the response that bubbled up was, “I am grateful for the scar from my C-section, where Dakota came out of my body and into the world, such a great gift in my life! And I am grateful that I did not die in childbirth, as so many women before me have done in similar circumstances.” And since then, this feeling seems to be carrying forward each time I notice my scar. Rather than frowning in self-criticism, I am smiling with gratitude. This is where Dakota came out!
The power of perspective for transforming our experience of our lives always startles me. And what a simple way to gain access to a possible shift – just look for something new to be grateful for each day!