It can be so depressing to have our lives upended as they recently have been, but I have found that though it is maddening as to how many changes and limitations that we have to presently endure, we do not HAVE to be weighed down. Flexibility is key in this kaleidoscopic melee that we find ourselves in. Growing up I used to hear, "Flex or die!" quite often when my stubbornness would flare and I would stonewall the change required of me. In this pandemic, I am finding that this principle is necessary to adhere to if I want to be a successful human.
It doesn't take much of a shift to change the way that we view something really. I used to poo-poo the mental gymnastics of purposely changing my perspective. It all seemed so plastic, so inauthentic. However, what we know now through brain science is that just changing how we view something can create a shift that allows us to chemically walk into the light so to speak. We are happier!
One of the techniques to change our perspective (Of course grandma knew this all along.) is to count your blessings. Recent studies have proven that counting our blessings and performing small acts of kindness actually change your brain...for the better. You may have heard about the college students who ran around putting coins in parking meters for random strangers. Or the Tibetan monks who were studied with the fancy equipment which tracked the changes in their brains while they did their gratefulness mantras. The students and the monks brains were seen to grow in the areas where our happiness lies. True story.
When Johnny and I were first married, we used to take a walk around the neighborhood every night and we would take turns naming 10 things we were grateful for. We did not come home until we had each reached at least 100. It is easier and harder than one would think. The beauty of it is that perspective is gained. We realized that there are so many good things which we are blessed with. It changed our outlook and our expectations. We came to understand that we are rich beyond measure. And most of the those things we were grateful for weren't things......
This may sound like a lot of hulabaloo. It is not. Here is my challenge;
Count your blessings. I dare you to be unchanged.....I dare you.
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