About 4 years ago, I made a New Years resolution that, every day, I'd find one thing I was genuinely grateful for in my life. It had a profound effect on the way I felt and thought about my life. Problems that seemed huge in scope were no longer as frightening - after all, I had spent all year being thankful for the resources in my life to help me deal with said problems. Accomplishments which made up a core part of my identity no longer seemed as central to me - after all, I wouldn't have accomplished many of them without the accident of great parents, teachers and opportunities. I spent that year largely stress free, and even though I'm out of the practice now, the thought patterns are still there and it makes for a far more pleasant day-to-day life.
I'd encourage anyone to do the same resolution. It's not a religious or spiritual thing (I am a staunch agnostic), it's a psychological thing.
I'd encourage anyone to do the same resolution. It's not a religious or spiritual thing (I am a staunch agnostic), it's a psychological thing.