How to find gratitude for the people in your life

There are certain people in our lives who light us up, hold us up, and push us forward. For some, that’s a parent or sibling, for others it’s a friend or significant other. It could be a teacher, a mentor, a supervisor, manager, or coworker. The people we’re grateful for play certain roles in our lives and show up for us in one way or another.

Someone or a set of people may have come to mind while reading the list above. What is it about these people that allows you to be grateful for them? In other words, what feelings come up for you when you think about them?

“They’re a keeper!” We keep people in our lives or we choose to have certain people in our lives for a range of reasons. The emphasis here is that sometimes we get to pick. When it’s our decision, we tend to choose people who provide us with something- support, love, generosity, knowledge. What if we got a bit more specific?

• Think of a “keeper” in your life. What feeling do you get before you reach out to them? What feeling do you get while you’re together or communicating when you’re apart? What feeling do you get when you’re away from them or haven’t spoken to them for awhile?

“But, they’re family!” When it comes to family (including blood relatives, in-laws, guardians) what we’re grateful for could be quite obvious or it could be a little harder to suss out. Depending on your experience and history with your families, sometimes they can bring up a lot of anxiety, hurt, and discomfort and other times they can bring up warmth, healing, and comfort. Either way, in thinking about what specifically you appreciate about your family, try this:

• Picture a time when you relied on a family member. What did they do to show you they were there for you? How did you lean on them? What was that experience like for you?
• Think of a positive memory you had with your family. Where were you and what were you doing? What did you hear around you? What feeling did you have at that moment? What feeling do you have now thinking about it?

It’s no secret that people are really important to us. Sometimes certain people play larger roles in our lives at one stage of life over another. Sometimes they stick with us. We challenge you this week to think about why. Deepen your gratitude for them by taking time to not only think about who fills you up but also how they fill you up.  Want to take it a step further? Send them a text or give them a call expressing your appreciation for them.

Stay Well,
Catherine at Revive