About a year ago, I had been told that I needed to practice gratitude. To me, this was something that seemed silly in its own way. I just could not comprehend why I would need to practice gratitude. I knew that I was lucky that I had the things I had, but I did not see the things that could be. It got me to begin to find at least three things that I was grateful for each day.

So, I began as I was on the path to get my mental health under control and on that path while documenting the various medications that I was taking and later the moods that I was experiencing throughout the day, I began to see the things that I was grateful for. I could often think of three right away, but I never went to think of more than five in my journal. When I was down and out, I would make a list and not stop until I was able to be regulated.

I was able to see that I had a lot to be grateful for. But the practice of listing a few things to be grateful for each day I felt was important to remind me that life was good and always worth living no matter what storms we were going through at that moment. It made me see that whatever stress or anxiety that I was holding was only temporary in nature and it would end eventually. I began to see that life was much better for me than what I allowed myself to believe that it was in the past.

It opened my eyes to start taking care of myself and the things that I have in my life. I had to start to understand that my life, while challenging, had many things to be bright and cheery about when there were not-so-shiny moments to look at. It brought the light out of the gloom and doom that I was constantly going through because I did not at times to see the purpose of doing what I was doing. I see that life was worth living for me while always understanding the purpose of just being here.

Throughout my travels I see so much and it brings me back to see how fortunate my life is. That I have been able to do all the things that I have done and go to all the places that I have. It is knowing that while now things are different, I have been blessed to have the opportunities that I have throughout my life. I know that several people have cared and supported me along the way and that it is important to keep on going because there is so much to life for!

Practicing gratitude may seem like a corny practice, but it has helped me see that life is worth living and not to be constantly living in a sense of the gloom and doom that I was living in. Practicing gratitude changed my life in its own way to make me a better person.