One month of my gratitude challenge

 

    After finishing one month of a very intense gratitude challenge, I can definitively tell you that gratitude is so much more than the definition above because the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual response it elicits is undefinable.  It really is.  I generally considered myself a pretty chill person, but I knew that I carried a lot of inward stress.  Most people never realized that about me, saying I was pretty laid-back and easygoing.  But, the way I carried myself and the amount of tension in my muscles was a strong indicator of how much stress I was carrying. 

     I have a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome, which of course, is systemic, and not just in the ovaries.  As a result of this condition, my body naturally creates more cortisol than other women without this syndrome.  I've had this all my life, and I've learned to carry my stress well.  But that doesn't mean it's easy.  I also had a very hard time determining what was my body's normal stress output and what's from actual stress.

    I need to preface this by saying that I'm not only doing the gratitude challenge, but I'm also taking a cortisol manager given to me by my doctor to help me sleep better.  And I'm also taking high doses of zinc because my doctor told me my genetics indicate that my body doesn't process zinc well, and I learned that when a person is in a constant state of stress, their zinc levels are low.  I'm also taking it as a remedy for tinnitus, something I've suffered with all my life, and I was told that low levels of zinc and high levels of stress can cause tinnitus.  

    However, I can tell that the gratitude challenge alone has changed a lot for me.  I am overall happier.  I'm learning to see the positive in things more quickly than I could before.  I am starting to remember what it was like to see the beauty of this world through the eyes of a child. Something way too many of us forget how to do, but something that is absolutely necessary to continue doing in our daily lives because it helps us live through.  I've also started to naturally feel more compassion for people and situations.  Something I was good at before, but I often had to think about the person's situation in order to truly feel it.  Now, it seems it comes a lot easier without the thinking process.  Don't get me wrong, there are still some situations I need to talk through to feel it, but it's a lot easier to get there in the end. 

    I've also noticed a change in the people around me.  When I'm in a state of gratitude, I notice that they have a tendency to be calmer and in a better mood overall.  This, of course, isn't always the case, but as a general rule, it is.  

    I'm also finding that I'm more willing to let go of clutter that I had emotional attachments to or things I thought I might have a use for or might be able to sell on eBay.  This feels really good to me because I don't actually like clutter, but I don't know how to deal with it due to my ADD.

    Which brings me to another point.  I've been able to focus on tasks longer, stay attentive to conversations longer, and am able to formulate thoughtful responses quicker.  In addition, I've been less likely to avoid difficult conversations, and when engaged in those conversations, I'm less likely to become overly emotional. Which is huge for me.  I used to have to have an "emotional breakthrough," complete with full-on crying, to be able to have these difficult conversations.  It seems I don't need to do this anymore.  Time will tell, of course, but so far, so good. 

    Another thing I've noticed is a lot less physical pain and faster healing times after a bump or cut.  Because of my high cortisol levels, and my constant physical tension, I have spent the majority of my life in a great deal of constant pain.  I rarely say anything about it, because it was just part of my life.  But now that I'm noticing less pain, I realize that I have the power to make my life pain-free without the use of painkillers. 

    So, what's next for me?  Well, even though I'm not going to be posting my gratitudes on my page anymore, I'll still be practicing them on a daily basis.  The benefits of doing such a simple thing are too good to pass up. I may post a gratitude now and then, just to remind myself and others the power of gratitude.  I'm still going to talk about how this has changed my life, and I'm still going to encourage others to do their own form of gratitude challenge.  Even if it's just finding one thing you're grateful for each day and thinking about it for a few minutes.  Trust me, the benefits are worth it.