You've heard the saying before "it's the little things", right? We focus on what nurtures and sustains us in our life. It also means practicing gratitude by being present and noticing these things that we could easily take for granted each day.
By stepping back and noticing the small things in your life, you won't stop the negative things from happening. But you'll begin to learn how to stop putting so much emphasis or deep meaning in the bad events in your life.
Perfect example is someone who is chronically sick. We tend to go straight to the stress and negative aspects of the illness, we focus on all the crap it brings with it. Whether that's the symptoms, uncertainty about the future, or not knowing if you will ever heal.
This is completely normal but I have found a more positive way to deal with a chronic illness is focusing on one day at a time and appreciate every small aspect of life. I have also found that the more I focus on the little things, the more the chronic symptoms decrease. Our brain thrives off positivity, which in turn will bring about less symptoms.
A few daily little things I like to focus on or appreciate are:
Nature: Whether that's getting out for a walk in the morning, sitting in my backyard looking at the beautiful plants and flowers, hanging out with my two wild yet loving Goldendoodles, or time with my family.
Listening to music: This is very important to me to always have music surrounding me, in the house or the car. Music sends messages to the brain of happiness, which will help with any symptoms as well.
Gratitude notes: Whether it's a journal or just jotting down notes in your phone each day about what you are grateful for. This is one of the best ways to focus on the little things.
Celebrate the little things: Celebrate your accomplishments on your healing journey. Celebrate the small wins each day of getting through daunting tasks with a chronic illness. Celebrate you!
By learning how to appreciate the little things in your life, you'll be able to enhance positive emotions in your life and really start to reap the benefits. These positive emotions also help cope with difficult situations, like chronic symptoms.
If you'd like to know more about how to focus more on the little things while dealing with chronic symptoms, I'd love to connect. Please email or reply to this post.
XX,
Jessica
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