You can be grateful AND…

I’m grateful AND…

Can we normalize the AND please?

I can be grateful AND need more.

I can be happy AND have bouts of depression

I can be angry AND loving at the same time.

I can also be afraid and in the energy of love.

There isn’t a ‘one at a time’ energy or emotion and to think there is one or to follow it = bypassing your truth

Be the multifaceted being you already are. Don’t reduce yourself down or try to make yourself less than because you are many things all at once.

And all of those things are valid, reasonable and worthy of taking up space.

Just in case you didn’t hear me:

YOU are valuable, reasonable, worthy of taking up space, and ALL your feelings are valid, not only the fluffy feel good ones.

✨There is wisdom to be found as you explore the feelings of resentment, anger, frustration, sadness, grief, anxiety, irritation etc.

✨There are sign-posts of where you need change & breaths of relief at finally acknowledging how you feel

✨There is space to process what has happened in your life (this is why therapy, healing sessions and even intuitive guidance can be helpful)

✨And gratitude can start to bubble up in a more natural and authentic space - or can be used with the exploration of the hard stuff, so that you have breathing room to enjoy life still.

Is the practice of gratitude helpful? yes. And, it can also be harmful if we are ignoring the other feelings that we are authentically feeling.
💡It also isn’t the measure of good we have been comparing ourselves to.
🕯If you aren’t grateful, it doesn’t mean you suck. it means you’re human, and you are having a lived experience that isn’t easy.

It is incredibly valuable to take stock of the lovely things that are happening in your life, to witness how far you’ve come and how much you’ve grown, and to find glimmers of hope in times that are hard. It helps us cope with the hard stuff.

Please don’t replace a coping mechanism with a healing practice.

If you want a way to start exploring these feelings on your own:

📓 get a journal
⏳ set a timer for 10 minutes
✒️ free write starting with the prompt “I’m fucking mad about…”
😮‍💨 when the timer goes off, take 3 gentle breaths
🪩 get up and move your body however feels comfortable (stomp your feet, shake it out, do a little dance, yoga/stretching)
🎉 then do something kind for yourself ( eat a cookie, have a bath, snuggle a dog, chat with a friend, read a book, sing a good song)
🔥 safely burn it if you want to release it and let it go in a satisfying way!
🔁 repeat as often as you can/need

Notice how you feel at the end.
Do you want to keep writing? (you can btw, just reset the timer and go!)
do you feel better? worse? a combo?
did anything surprise you?
did you learn anything? or get inspired to create change in your life by something?