Thankful Thursdays

Being thankful is one of the easiest things you could do to make yourself feel better. It only takes a couple of minutes and the rewards are immediate. Thinking about what is good in your life, the things that you are thankful for, forces your mind into thinking positive. Try doing this on a day when you’re feeling low – I bet it will be hard. It will be difficult to get your mind out of the dark hole it fell in. This is the critical point. It’s exactly then – when you think you cannot think of anything positive – that you must try harder. You will break down the barrier, and eventually it will become easier and easier. Remember – nothing is easy, but practice makes perfect (or at least brings success).

That being said, taking some time out of your day to write down the things you are thankful for requires at least some sort of routine so that you really do it every single day. I for one, do not do well with routine. I’ve tried many times but I’ve always failed. So, a little while ago, I decided to change my approach. Instead of writing every day, I will just write down a few things I’m thankful for once every week. Once a week, same day every week – that works for me. For you something completely different might work better. If you don’t know what works best for you, give it all a try. Perhaps every day, when you wake up or go to bed, spend 5 minutes and think of one or two things that you are thankful for that day. Maybe spending one day a month relaxing and having some “you” time in which you could write a list of things you can be thankful for works better. Only you know what is the best method for you.

After a while, you will have a whole list of things you are thankful for. Use this to remind yourself of the abundance you have in your life, especially on those days when getting out of bed seems impossible. Sometimes all one needs is a reminder that there are good thing in life – something that is hard to do when the mind is foggy.

So let’s start with one thing I am thankful for today, and every day.

The ability to walk – in 2003 I had surgery for CES (Cauda Equina Syndrome). If the pressure on the Cauda Equina caused by a herniated disc is not relieved within 48 hours, permanent damage is very likely. Permanent damage includes loss of bladder functions, nerve damage causing foot drops and other muscle related pain/damage, or the worst – paralysis from the waist down. I came out of the surgery 99% fine. Some weakness, but nothing noticeable. Recently, I have had another scare – the same disc that was operated on in 2003 protruded once again. Some pain, some muscle spasms, some muscle tightness to this very day – but I can still walk. And as long as I can walk, this is perhaps the number one thing I will always be thankful for. Walking is freedom for me – I want to live, to explore , and I am so grateful for my ability to walk after what I’ve gone through. I know I have been very fortunate here, not everyone with CES gets away so easily. People take walking for granted every day, but CES (or other things that impede the ability to walk) can happen to anyone – a hard fall does the trick, as in my case.

What are you thankful for today?