Have an Attitude of Gratitude in Any Situation

Gratitude is arguably one of the best possessions for the heart, mind, and soul, so cultivating an attitude of gratitude is hugely beneficial.

The ability to be grateful during challenges is priceless.

Gratitude is an expression of appreciation for what you have,e regardless of your circumstances.

It is a light that allows you to see when surrounded by darkness.

People who have survived tremendous adversity often express gratitude so beautifully that it leaves little doubt that gratitude itself is key to survival.

How do they find it despite trauma and disaster?

What can you be thankful for when it seems like you’re losing everything?

How can you be grateful when you are not getting what you want?

And how can you have an attitude of gratitude in any situation?

Keep reading to discover how.

Find The Positive

Okay, so you find yourself in the middle of a terrible situation.

Divorce, natural disasters, car wrecks, and depression all have one thing in common- a tremendous amount of darkness.

Darkness takes on many forms, from heartbreak to losing everything you own in the blink of an eye.

And where there is darkness, there is sadness, fear, and anxiety about the future.

Honestly assess what has happened, what is happening, and how this makes you feel.

If you are angry, allow yourself to be angry.

Practice mindfulness and allow yourself to be in the situation.

This is the first step towards developing an attitude of gratitude.

Only when you fully acknowledge what is going on and how you feel can you begin to process and accept the situation.

This leads to finding the positive: Your heart is broken, but you have fantastic friends who care about you.

You lost everything in a flood or a fire, but you saved all your photos that could never be replaced.

You wrecked your car and sustained injuries but still have your life.

You are battling through depression, but find comfort in blankets and music.

There is something positive to be found no matter what is happening.

Find that tiny bit of positivity and hold onto it with every ounce of your being.

An Attitude of Gratitude Needs Laughter

Now that you’ve honestly assessed the situation and found little bits of positivity, it’s time to find the humor.

I realize finding humor when your heart is breaking or when you’ve lost everything seems absurd and impossible, but I speak from experience when I tell you it’s neither.

Humor is an essential tool in the arsenal of survival.

Humor is light in the darkness, and it will save you, as it has me, time and time again.

Maybe your situation is so awful it’s funny in a “How do these things even happen?” way.

Maybe you can find the irony in it all and laugh about that.

I’m not suggesting you trade all your tears for laughter, but one or two wouldn’t be a bad idea.

If you can’t find humor in your situation, find humor anywhere you can.

Let friends make you laugh, let videos of cats in costumes riding vacuum cleaners make you laugh, and let a stand-up comic make you chuckle despite yourself.

Allow yourself to smile and laugh, even if it’s just for a moment.

I promise you’ll feel better, and you’ll find yourself slowly having more of those moments.

Find those brief moments and hold onto them while you wait out the darkness.

Embrace The Resilience

When you can acknowledge the positive and embrace the laughter, you have built the foundation for resilience.

In an article by Professor Megan R. Holmes of Case Western Reserve University, resilience is defined as “the capacity for successful adaptation in the face of adversity.”

It is that bounce-back factor that so many survivors of horrible tragedies seem to effortlessly possess.

It is that sparkle in their eyes after years spent in darkness.

We all have the ability to be resilient, even when we feel it’s completely impossible.

It’s there waiting for you to find and cultivate it.

Granted, darkness makes it difficult to find, but that doesn’t make it any less present.

Let the bits of positivity and laughter provide the light you need to find it.

Chances are you’ve found it in the past.

We see it in little kids that grow up in crushing poverty and survive childhoods of unbelievable trauma.

You are no different.

That little kid is still there, holding onto your bounce-back factor should you ever reach inside and decide to use it.

Find your seeds of resilience and guard them as they grow in the light you are cultivating.

Use your mental toughness to protect your attitude of gratitude.

Always Express Thankfulness to Develop an Attitude of Gratitude

So you’ve found a few positives, laughed when you could, and embraced your bounce-back factor.

Now is the time to be thankful for those tiny beams of light.

Expressing thankfulness while you are suffering is not an easy thing to do.

It might seem trite and forced, and that’s okay.

Express it anyway.

Allow yourself to say thank you in prayer, writing, or whatever vehicle of expression you feel most comfortable using.

There is always something to be thankful for, no matter how bad things get.

Maybe you can only muster a whispered thank you after your first genuine laugh.

Or a thank you mumbled into a tear-stained pillow when you realize you made it out alive.

Look around you and be thankful for something beautiful; bonus points if that something beautiful is you.

After all, you are a miracle, and you are still standing despite the loss, heartbreak, and darkness.

Find your thankfulness and fan it like a flame that lights up your tomorrow.

Find Your Tomorrow

Expressing thankfulness will, even accidentally, produce hope.

With each expression of thankfulness, you are saying to the universe, “I acknowledge the good in this.”

Acknowledgment of the good allows you to see the possibility of a future with more things to be thankful for.

This powerful light will spread and create a horizon beyond the current darkness and suffering.

That powerful light, that horizon of possibility, is what we call hope.

When you find hope, you find the ability to keep going.

The strength gets you out of bed, and the movement propels you forward when all you want to do is collapse.

Hope is found in the positive, in the laughter, in the resilience, and in the thankfulness.

It spreads and lifts and restores.

It’s the whisper that says, “You’ve got this.”

Find your hope and hold it like a brilliant lantern tethered to your heart.

Let it lift you towards tomorrow.

Gratitude is entirely possible in any situation.

With positivity, laughter, resilience, and thankfulness, you will create the gratitude you need to face anything.

Gratitude isn’t something that can be taken from you by anyone or anything.

When you wear an attitude of gratitude, it is a possession you carry with you everywhere.

The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets, and the more light you create for yourself and those around you.

So go out there and shine.

How do you express gratitude daily?

What are some of the things you are most grateful for?

Please let us know in the comment section!

We would love to hear from you.