May You Be Thankful

There are infinite possibilities in mindfulness, and this month eM Life will explore some prevailing themes that mindfulness can bring to the forefront of our daily lives. Every week during the month of May, we will look in depth at one theme- Thankfulness, Love, Health, and Presence– with each day representing a different aspect of that particular theme.

In this first week of May, we will feature how mindfulness can inspire us to be more thankful. Each day we will explore a new facet of thankfulness, and, in turn, improve our daily lives by strengthening our awareness of gratitude.

Mindful gratitude can help us realize that every moment is precious and can be celebrated. Even negative experiences, that in the immediate moment feel negative, are experiences we can be thankful for, as they often teach us and further our personal growth. Mindful gratitude can also help us find more meaning in the neutral moments; making a cup of tea, opening the front door, sitting upright in your chair, and standing up from the dinner table are all moments we may not usually be thankful for. These neutral moments make up a significant portion our lives, and by adding an attitude of gratitude to the mundane moments we can experience more happiness. Similarly, we can be thankful for the people in our lives as well as for others we may never meet. We can be thankful for these people for what they impart to us, or simply for their existence.

Here’s something to try each day this week:

• Take 1 minute (or more!) out of your day to consider one thing you are grateful for in your life, or something you are thankful for that occurred that day.
• As you highlight what you are grateful for, try not to add “buts” to what you are thankful for — for example, “I’m grateful for my health, but I wish…”
• Finally, notice what it is like to focus on what you are thankful for and how that influences the rest of your experiences for what you experience that day.

There are many ways mindfulness and thankfulness can benefit us. Throughout the week, we’ll bring to light several ways mindful gratitude can be applied practically to our lives. In fact, there are so many ways thankfulness can affect our lives, that we can’t even grasp the abundance in just one week.

We’re very thankful for you, our eM Life community, and find that by practicing together, in our live, online sessions, we’re all contributing to a treasured wealth of shared ideas and experiences.  Explore more of eM Life’s offerings and continue your mindfulness journey throughout the month of May!