Saturday, February 28, 2009

Staying Positive: Help from a Gratitude Bracelet

By Deanna Collins

It's easy to get bogged down in life's problems. When the going gets tough, we always have two options. We can allow circumstances to take away our motivation and defeat us or we can rise to the challenge. A gratitude bracelet is one aid to staying positive, even when the odds seem stacked against us.

The Importance of Gratitude

It's a fact that there is always somebody worse off then us. That might seem like small consolation when life seems to be going along poorly, but recognizing the blessings that we enjoy is a small but powerful step towards cultivating a positive outlook.

It can be a difficult task to detach oneself in order to objectively view various situations. If you surround yourself with pessimistic attitudes, in the end they can only aggravate the situation instead of improving it. Take for example some sort of depressive illness. Many things can appear to be far worse than they really are. A spiralling decline seems to happen when we allow ourselves to view subsequent issues in our lives in negative terms.

There are situations where pessimism would be the appropriate attitude. If you misplace your optimism or denial towards any given situation, the result can be just as damaging as any negative response or attitude. Finding the balance and seeking ways to hold our perceptions as well as our reactions in check is the trick to it all. It's important to hold gratitude as a counterbalance, thereby focusing on any problem we are experiencing.

What Do I Have To Be Grateful For?

Many of us don't even come close to recognizing the many things we have to be grateful for. If people don't count their blessings in life, it is quite easy to take the positive aspects for granted. By keeping a journal of things to be grateful for has been proven as an effective tool to enhance the happiness we feel. By keeping a record of the many things we can be grateful about on a daily basis could include such things as an appreciation of our friends and family, the journaling of our children's milestones or anything else you are grateful for. By searching for and documenting the positives in your life, it can be quite amazing to see how long the list is of times or things that deserve their own gratitude.

Maintaining a Positive Attitude with a Gratitude Bracelet

The key to using gratitude as a tool for maintaining a positive attitude is regular reinforcement. Gratitude journals work by reminding ourselves on a daily basis of the good things in our lives. A gratitude bracelet can work in a similar way. Every time you put it on, take it off or look at it during the day, it can remind you of the many reasons you have to be happy - no matter how many you have to be discontented.

You could wear a gratitude bracelet as a general reminder of the positive things in your life or choose a bracelet with beads that symbolize particular things that enrich your life: people, pets, health, and nature. Choose a color that will remind you of the eyes of a loved one or a material whose feel reminds you of something you have and love.

With endless possibilities, once the connection is made between the bracelet and all things positive in your life it will be easy to be reminding of these things with a glance or the feel of your gratitude bracelet. If you wish to enrich the life of someone else and give one as a gift their feeling of gratitude will include you, as well as other loved ones. What better gift is there to remind you of all of the world's beauty? - 17944

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