Gratitude and Creativity to Get Back on Track, Part 1

by dena on September 12, 2014

When I’m feeling down, unmotivated, blah, without inspiration, numb, sad, or any combination of these states, what helps me realign with passion for life? There might well be a very long list of possible answers.

This time around, I feel most drawn to 2 easy answers: Gratitude and Creativity.

Sometimes I feel like my mind and body are moving in slow motion, as if my limbs had to wade through molasses to get across the room. If you ever saw the old tv programs of The Bionic Woman or The Six Million Dollar Man, they were always shown in slo-mo when they were running. (It doesn’t really make sense to me, since the premise was that they were covering a lot of ground in a short time. Oh, well . . . ) Of course, when my whole self seems to be moving slowly, I am quite the opposite of bionic.

I’m not in a just-do-it or a jump-right-in space. Therefore, it is helpful to me in these instances to have relatively small and easy actions to take toward getting back on track.

Gratitude

I like asking myself questions. Sometimes even impossible questions. The action of posing the questions to myself sometimes begins to shake me loose from whatever “stuckness” I might be experiencing.

Gratitude_on stone

“What are 3 items or areas of gratitude that I have,” I ask myself. Any 3 will do. These need not translate to the be-all end-all most immense examples of gratitude in my life. They can even be tiny.

  • I am grateful for the soft clouds I am watching.
  • I am grateful for a screened porch where I can type while being outdoors without intersecting with insects. (Wait, was that 2 examples of gratitude in the same sentence?)
  • I am grateful for a supply of arugula in the fridge so I can make a simple salad.

Already, other ideas are popping in to be added to a list of thankfulness.

I could continue the list, or press the pause button for now.

I close my eyes, breathe deeply, and say to myself, “I am willing to experience the essence of the feeling of gratitude permeating my being. I am willing to rest my awareness in simply feeling thankful.” No object is needed. I can begin with a thought of something on the gratitude list, then I can drop the idea of the object, and feel thankfulness.

grateful attitude quote

The practice is a sample of a form of mindfulness meditation called Samyama that I have written about on this blog.

 

Next week, we will have Part 2, with a focus on Creativity. If you want a little creativity boost before then, feel free to hop on over to these posts:  Happiness in Life – Photography and Nature Inspires Creativity and Relaxation.

 

What is a gratitude you have, in this moment? What habits or practices have you cultivated or discovered to bring yourself back on track? If you would like to see some expressions of gratitude made by others, I welcome you to a post from last year, Giving Thanks ~ Readers Share Gratitude from the Heart.

 

You are welcome to find out about my telephone meditation classes .They are held 3 different times weekly.

Blissings, Dena

Thank you for being here. If this is one of your first visits, please consider subscribing for free email or RSS updates.
If you liked this article, please share its gifts with your friends & family.

Trackbacks

  1. […] Gratitude & Creativity to Get Back on Track […]

Previous post:

Next post: