Enjoy the little things Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

Do you feel sometimes like life is missing something? You experience a wonderful holiday like Thanksgiving, full of family or friends, and yet, it feels empty.

Maybe, you’re worried about where the money is going to come for Christmas–which is just around the corner? Or, how your kids are driving you up the wall, and it’s only been 4 days off from school!?

I’ve been there my friends. I’ve been so overwhelmed at times that I’ve had a panic attack. I’ve even been so overwhelmed I’ve actually fainted. Not good. 😳

I’m here to share one of the keys that has helped me enjoy my life even when it sometimes feels overwhelming and nothing is going right.

What is this key? One word.

Gratitude!

I know, I know, it seems so simple. It couldn’t possibly work. Life’s too crazy right?

You might even be thinking, Heather, you seriously talk about this all the time! Well…

Gratitude works – if you use it consistently.

“Deficiency doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re lacking something important. What it does mean is that you’ve recently been thinking about what is absent, very likely to the exclusion of what is present.” - Tommy Newberry

Wow, that’s what I was doing when I was freaking out. I was looking at what was lacking in my life not at what I did have.

When I stopped looking at what I couldn’t change and started looking at what I had that money couldn’t buy, it helped me became grateful for what I did have.

Here’s the amazing part–I started enjoying my life more–even though my circumstances actually didn’t change yet.

Seriously, the circumstances haven’t changed, and yet, I can still enjoy life. I can still live in peace. I can still live in joy–and you can too.

I’m not special. I still have my moments. But, the great part is, when I am consistent in using this gratitude key, they’re only moments of overwhelm now. It doesn’t take me over for days at a time anymore!

Here’s what our Heavenly Father’s advice is for things that are overwhelming us:

Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Colossians 4:2 NKJV

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

We go to Him in prayer and we go to Him with what we’re thankful for. Then God’s peace will guard our hearts and our minds through Christ Jesus.

I love too that it say’s, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding…”

God says, we can have peace even though our circumstance might dictate that we should be stressed and have no peace.

We don’t have to live according to how everyone around us responds. We can live in His peace–if we give it over to him and live a life of gratitude.

So, how can we find out what we’re grateful for even when it feels like life is falling apart around us?

I like to ask myself thought provoking questions. When we ask ourselves great questions, we will produce great answers.

So here are some of my favorite questions I ask myself to produce gratitude in my life:

What do I have that money can’t buy?
What is going right in my life that I can be grateful for?
Even though this situation isn’t ideal, what good can come from it?

“Gratitude is like a mental gear shift. It brings me back to the present moment to focus on what’s going well right now.” - Tommy Newberry

While going through these questions, we realize we have so much that money can’t buy. We actually have everything money can’t buy.

These question also help us dwell on what we do have rather than what we don’t have.

When our focus is on what we do have, it’s easier to keep the overwhelming circumstances in the correct perspective. Life is not all bad. There’s so much good we can be grateful for.

Now, take a few moments to find out what you’re grateful for. You’ll begin to experience more of that peace God that defies our understanding and you’ll enjoy your life more in the process.

Discussion

What is going right in your life that you can be grateful for? Share with us below.

Resources

5 Simple Ways to Produce More Joy in Your Life blog post

Two Quick Ways to Get Your Joy Back blog post

These two books have been literally (yes I do mean literally) life changing for me:

The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life by Tommy Newberry

The Seven Decisions: Understanding the Keys to Personal Success by Andy Andrews (This book has an amazing chapter on Happiness! Andy is brilliant at giving you new perspective on life.)

*Books are affiliate links

Podcast-Blog

The One Key To Beating Overwhelm–Quickly