Graciousness: The Antidote to Demoralization

We've all felt it. Sometimes those days are just inevitable and heading into the third year of covid restrictions I think most of us are feeling it at least some days. It's that blackpilled feeling of hopelessness you can get sometimes from gazing into the abyss known as "the news cycle." But you know what, there's a way to reframe that.

Yes, things are bad. Awful even in a lot of ways in a lot of places and the virus has just made it worse for everyone financially, emotionally, spiritually even. So how do we fix this? Well, one way to keep your heart and spirit well is simply by being thankful and what better time of the year to point that out than here on Thanksgiving day.

You can call me idealistic, silly even, but I honestly believe in the power of perception. Sometimes we have no control over the circumstances we face in life. What we do have control over however, with practice anyway, is how we feel about those circumstances outside of our control. What we do about it, how it affects us.

This year I had an injury that had me bedridden for 8 months. It was one of the lowest points of my life and this after the difficulties of the first year of lockdown and coronavirus pushers screeching "new normal" every half hour. One thing I learned from that experience though is that no matter how bad you think it is, it can always get worse. I realize that doesn't sound like an incredibly peppy perspective but if you remember that "maybe these are the good old days" it might make it easier to appreciate those small things we all take for granted.

For months I couldn't sit for extended periods and couldn't walk without a cane. So many things I took for granted suddenly were impossible or incredibly difficult. From now I'm doing my best to appreciate those little things. Showing thankfulness, the simple feeling of gratitude, is a powerful thing indeed. Like forgiveness and love, it is one of those primeval forces that can match or exceed that of other powerful natural forces like magnetism, hate or the corrosiveness of boredom.

What's that song about how do you heal a broken heart? To be honest, I don't know, but the most effective antidote to blackpill poisoning I know of is gracious, thankfulness in your heart. Happy Thanksgiving one and all.

What do you think about this article?

Name
Comment *
Image