How Gratitude Can Help You Start 2021 on a Positive Note

2020 was a year of unprecedented challenges. I’ve been reflecting on those challenges over the past few days, as I’m sure many of you are also doing. Like you, I’ve had many stressful experiences this year, but I’ve also found myself full of gratitude. Gratitude for family, friends, safe housing, the opportunity for education, employment, waking up today, and good hair days.

My year was full of changes, in addition to challenges. In October 2019, I moved home to Los Angeles from Syracuse, New York. Initially, things moved along smoothly. I spent my days completing my schoolwork and working at a new job. It was exciting to get into professional life and start a new phase. Life was good for a few months. Then coronavirus hit.

When things shut down in March, I was living in a three-generation household with my grandparents. It was challenging to maintain a sense of safety when some of us were required to leave home for “essential” work. I was still adjusting to being a remote student participating in school projects in New York through emails, phone calls, and video calls.

Thankfully everyone in my household has stayed healthy, but I’ve witnessed the hardships of poverty, unemployment, sickness, drug addictions, and homelessness. I’ve also felt the stress and emotional turmoil of the constant racial and social injustices affecting our lives. 2020 has stripped us all down and made it difficult to be positive, let alone grateful. Yet, our resiliency as humans stems from our ability to appreciate what we have and the mindset that things will eventually get better. As the saying goes:

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”

This brings me to New Year’s. Traditionally, the end of one year and the beginning of the next is when we set resolutions and promise to improve ourselves. We often hear the phrase, “new year, new me.” Self-improvement is a great goal, but it might feel overwhelming when we are ending one year and beginning the next in turmoil. That’s okay. Just making it through 2020 is enough to be celebrated.

Instead of searching for significant ways to change or improve yourself in the coming year, I recommend giving yourself a break and go into 2021 meeting yourself where you are right now, flaws and all. This doesn’t mean you can’t live your best life. I am simply encouraging you to give yourself the grace to be and, instead, turn to gratitude to help you enter a New Year already rife with challenges.

We all know that gratitude is a good thing, but the full positive impact of it goes deeper than most of us realize.

• Better Sleep – Research has shown that gratitude leads to longer and better sleep since it allows for more positive thoughts before bedtime and fewer worries to calm the mind.
• Physical Health – Not only does gratitude improve your immune system, studies show people who practice gratitude had fewer aches and pains. In addition, people who show gratitude tend to eat healthier and exercise more.
• Mental Health – Gratitude improves self-esteem, increases happiness, and reduces the risk of anxiety, depression, and dependence on drugs and alcohol. Gratitude also helps cope with stress, overcoming trauma, and reduces adverse emotions such as regret, irritation, jealousy, and anger.
• Relationships – Gratitude provides an opportunity for more connections by increasing social bonds. Acknowledging and thanking another person influences them to want to pursue a continuing relationship.

If you are unsure how to start, here are some activities for practicing gratitude and staying present.

• Count your blessings – Take a few moments to think about the positive things that happened throughout your day or week.
• Thank someone – Write a thank you note or thank someone in your mind.
• Begin a gratitude journal – Write down some things you are thankful for each day.
• Pray – Express gratitude to God for your blessings if this fits your religion or spiritual beliefs.
• Meditate – Practice breathing and noticing where you are in the current moment without judgment.
• Stop and smell the roses – When you’re enjoying an event (a meal, a sound, a conversation, a memory) take a moment to pause for a little and enjoy the experience.

The future is unknown, and there is no time like the present. One consistent thing is life will keep moving forward. If you know someone who needs to hear this, share it with them. We can all use a reminder sometimes. When you are thankful for what you already have, you end up having more.

B Strong,

Aysha