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Oh No!
Not the Gratitude List Again
If you like this article:
Recently, I have been working with two different clients experiencing great stress in their current life circumstances. I suggested to each of them the subtle but powerful exercise of keeping a gratitude journal. Like many, they thought the idea was a little hokey. Their general sentiment was that they already appreciated the good things in their life and they don’t need to make up lists about it.
Because of the great power of appreciation and gratitude to increase our health, happiness, and well being it behooves us to look deeper.
HeartMath recently sent me an interesting perspective on appreciation that I would like to share with you. The people at HeartMath point out that there are 3 levels of appreciation.
We are all familiar with the first level. This is the level at which you notice the good things happening in life. The things that make you feel good. The things you are excited about. Even if you don’t have a "shout it out, blow your socks off" experience you can at least find some subtle experience in the day to appreciate.
The second level of appreciation asks you to go deeper into the experience of appreciation. HeartMath calls it finding the "add-ons in take-aways." Here you connect appreciation with experiences that don’t feel so good.
It’s like this – a couple of months ago my son’s car got totaled by a truck while he was backing out of a snow drift he had skidded into. When I asked him how he was, he said, "I’m doing great! I didn’t die!" I could tell he really appreciated that – and so could I!
Experiencing appreciation on this second level takes any negative energy associated with the experience; completes it, stops the energy drain and starts an upward spiral of energy. It is here that we often are able to connect with deep insight and intuitive wisdom. Appreciation allows the message to come through loud and clear.
At the third level of appreciation, we begin to allow the experience of appreciation to guide and ground us. By extending your appreciation to this level of awareness, you’ll find it easier and useful to act on insights and intuition gained. Appreciation does not remain a once in awhile experience that we use to celebrate our big hurrahs. Living in gratitude becomes a daily experience of beauty and awe. When we experience appreciation at this deeper level we start being sensitive to and open to possibility, fun, surprises – we reconnect to our natural rhythm and wholeness.
Get out that gratitude journal – or start one if don’t have one. Every day write down things you appreciate. Go deep into appreciation and allow it to work its magic on you.
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© Copyright 1997 - 2008 by Mary Ann Copson and Evenstar. All rights reserved.
About the Author:
Mary Ann Copson is the founder of the Evenstar Mood & Energy Wellness Center for Women. With Master's Degrees in Human Development and Psychology and Counseling, Mary Ann is a Certified Licensed Nutritionist; Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; Brain Chemistry Profile Clinician; and a Health, Wellness and Lifestyle Coach. Reconnect to your physical, emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual natural rhythms at
http://evenstaronline.com
