Hello! 

How are you getting on this week? In my Facebook live this week, I touched on how I’ve been feeling a little low recently and that finding gratitude in things has really helped me overcome this feeling. 

Workshop Prep 

This all stemmed from doing my prep work for the ‘Best Year Yet’ workshops. This prep work is so important in enabling you to create the future you want, and why reflecting back on 2020 and the years previous to this is essential. It wasn’t until I stopped to do this and started writing things down that some things hit me. 

This year has been tough for everyone and all for different reasons. It’s been a strange old year. However, I realised that over the past few years I have come so far and achieved so much, but this year I have only seen my sister once, I don’t feel like I’ve spent enough time with my children and I haven’t been able to see my nans. It all hit me and I just needed to have a good cry. And I did. 

After my cry, I had a studio session with my Hub members. I wasn’t really feeling up to it, but I went and it was the best thing I did. It made me feel so much better and after speaking to other people, it turned out a lot of people were feeling the same way.

So, I wanted to talk about it today in the hope I can make some of you feel a little better. 

It’s okay to feel sad

Firstly, when I was chatting to some Hub members on Friday, we came to the conclusion it’s okay to feel annoyed, frustrated and sad at whatever it may be. For me it was the fact I hadn’t done all the things I would normally do with my family, as the pandemic has made it difficult, whilst working and homeschooling the kids. 

It is okay to feel this way. It’s absolutely okay to have a cry about it. Journal those feelings and get them on paper because if you don’t they will begin to manifest. And most importantly, always remember you are not alone! 

Top tips to find gratitude 

With all that being said, I have found 3 ways that help me get out of feeling low and allows me to find gratitude in life and I wanted to share them with you today.

In the moment

So the first thing that I do is always try and think of someone in a worse position than myself. For example, my grandad always springs to mind. He was an orphan and fought in the war and in his time saw some horrible things. He used to tell me stories of all the things he’d done in life, so whenever I’m in a bad situation I always think of him. He had it a lot worse than me. I am so thankful that I didn’t have to go through some of his life experiences. 

This will always help me find a little gratitude and start to pull me out of my low state. Years ago, feeling low could last for weeks and months and I would stay in bed. I wouldn’t be able to get up or out. Even now, it’s a struggle to get up and crack on with the day, but that is okay! It’s okay to feel this way. Be kind to yourself.

Think of others

The second thing I bring myself to think about is, what I am grateful for right now? At this very moment what is making me smile? 

It could be going out for a walk and enjoying the fresh air, you could be sitting on the sofa watching a film with your children, enjoying a hot cuppa. Any little thing that can bring you a little piece of gratitude! 

It may sound silly, but look at what you have in front of you. The beauty around you. This will start to use the part of the brain that lifts your mood.

Show gratitude!  

Who in your life has helped you in some way? It could have been last year, this year, last month, this week or today. Who has done something that made you smile? Take a moment to send them a message to say thank you. If we all did this from time to time people would start to see other people’s gratitude and it would begin to spread like a chain reaction. 

It may sound cheesy, but it’s true. We need to show gratitude to each other to keep us going! 

Make 2021 Your Best Year Yet 

If you are still wanting to join in with our FREE online workshops from 7th January here is the link. We’d love to see you there! https://uas.unitedartspace.org/byy2021/ 

So hopefully, this has helped you. Just remember, if you get in a low mood, it’s normal and we can all feel it at some point or another and it’s okay to feel it too! Ride through the emotions, have a good cry and find the things to be grateful in your life, at that particular moment! 

Much love, 

Michelle x.