Cultivate Gratitude

23 Nov Cultivate Gratitude

I have often heard people say, “I should be grateful.” Often it is said during very difficult times, so I ask, “Why should you be grateful?” Saying we should is not accepting the reality that we are not grateful. I encourage them, that to help alleviate suffering start to cultivate gratitude, that is to begin the day identifying things that we can choose to be grateful for.  In DBT, we use comparisons as a distress tolerance skill, which identifies how our situation could be worse (or has been) and use it as a way to feel better about our current situation.

Here is a helpful meditation to start the day to cultivate gratitude:

Meditation on Gratitude and Joy