Today is the final day of Blogvent, and I’m writing this on my phone before our Christmas Day starts in full. The last thing I wanted to share was a practice that I use when I’m feeling very negative or upset.

It’s actually good to feel negative emotions like sadness, jealousy, fear. It tells us that something is missing and that uncomfortable emotion can help drive us to change and growth. But it becomes a hindrance when the negativity just repeats itself over and over. That keeps us stuck and keeps us upset.

I’ve always struggled with my own negativity. I’m cynical, easily frustrated, and am often afraid. This has meant I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit feeling upset and like things wouldn’t really improve. I’ve always been fairly ambitious, but when you’re stuck in that negativity loop it’s hard to move forward.

So here’s a practice that I used to help me break that cycle. It’s best if you write it out in a journal so that you can go back and look at it. It’s just once a day and it’s quick!

1. One thing you did that you were proud of.
2. One thing that you’re looking forward to in the next day.
3. One thing that happened to you that you enjoyed.

This has been the only practice that’s worked for me to start practicing gratitude, and I’ve tried many. After doing this practice for about 6 months every day, I started reaching for positive things, like what I was going to do the next day that I was excited about, or really thinking about and enjoying my walk to coffee in the morning. It helped shift my whole perspective and I hope it can help you, too!

Happy Christmas if you celebrate and a Happy New Year!