7 Simple Ways to Interrupt Anxiety with Gratitude

Written By K.M. | November 30. 2017 at  9:22 am

Some days are just amazing. Things go as planned or even better and you bounce from meetings to tasks to your private life and you feel wonderful on the inside.

Then there are other days.

Days when you do not feel much motivated at all. When your best laid plans go out the window before the day has barely begun.

When something important unexpectedly goes wrong and you get that sinking feeling in your stomach. Or when you feel sorry for yourself and honestly just want to go back to bed and to sleep again.

Maybe the simplest and certainly one of the most effective ways to turn such a day, week or month around into something more positive and better is in my experience to turn your focus to gratitude.

Because even if things look tough today or for the next 3 or 6 months I can always find something or several things to feel very grateful for in my life.

With that, I’d like to share a small list of 5 simple, fundamental things that I feel grateful for. I usually only reflect on one or a few of these things when I need to but I thought a list like this one could be helpful both for you and for me.

Maybe not every item on this list works in your life, then take what works from here and create and add to put together your own list.


1. A Roof Over My Head and A Welcoming Home.

I live in Houston, a city where the summers are steaming hot and usually skip winters and goes straight into fall.

I often return to this one.

Few things feel better than to reflect upon having a welcoming home and a roof over my head.


2. I Don’t Have to Go Hungry.

Plus, most of things I cook and/or eat are quite tasty and healthy. And sometimes they are simply wonderful.

So, I have much to be grateful for when it comes to food.

3.  I Can Enjoy the Small and Free Pleasures  of Life.

A sunrise.

A relaxing walk in nature.

A dope conversation with my sweetheart.

A crisp Autumn day when the trees are filled with leaves of vibrant and spectacular colors (I yearn for days like this).

4. Access to the internet.

When I was young back in the 80’s and 90’s and you wanted to learn about something then you had to ask someone who may have had spotty knowledge. Or you had to visit the local library and maybe there was a book or magazine about it.

Things are so different now and even though it is just a part of everyday life it is still amazing.

I can learn about pretty much anything online. I can add new skills and habits to make my life happier and more awesome with the help of what other people share online (including me).

And there is the opportunity to connect with and get to know people from all around the world.

5. The kindness of people I have never met before.

Every day I get kind and supportive emails and messages from people all around the world that I have never met but who reads my blog or listens to my podcast or even read my book of affirmations.  Their expressions of gratitude make my life happier and help me when things feel tough.

And I truly appreciate the simple kindness in the rest of my daily life too when people let me skip ahead of them in the checkout line in the store when I only have a few items. When they stay for a few seconds and hold up the door for me too. Or let me into their lane when I drive. (Awesomeness, right?!?)

6. The setbacks that have formed me and made me stronger

I have had some rough adversities a few times in my life and these experiences have made me stronger mentally and given me the gift of being very appreciative of my mindset and of my own body and taking good care of it.

7. I am alive!

I have like everyone else been in situations where an accident and being in the wrong place for just a few seconds could have meant I would not have been here anymore.

If I had been born in another time or in another place then there is a big chance that I would not have been here to experience my 36th birthday.

But I am here now. I have this moment and day and hopefully many days still to experience and live my life.

It is an amazing thing.