A Different Way of Seeing the Same Day

Recently, I felt like my life was going nowhere.

I felt like a hamster on a wheel—waking up, brushing my teeth, taking a shower, cleaning the dishes if there were any, making a cup of coffee, then working on my blog. After that, I would practice piano, draw, paint, read, have dinner, watch television, go to bed… and then do it all over again.

Day after day.

I felt low, unmotivated, and I found myself longing for the days when I used to look forward to starting each morning.

Then, a few days ago, I remembered a quote I had come across before:

“Changing the way you feel by changing the way you think.”

So I asked myself: What kind of thoughts could I choose instead of telling myself I’m stuck in a cycle of sameness?

And I realized something simple, but important.

The first step in shifting how I feel might be to pause—and appreciate what I already have.

From there, the question becomes: What changes do I want to make now?

Here’s what I came up with:

• I appreciate that I’m alive
• I appreciate how far I’ve already come
• I appreciate that I can still walk
• I appreciate having a loving and caring husband
• I appreciate raising a healthy and kind daughter

What do you appreciate in your life?

I’ve found it helps to pause and think about it—sometimes even writing it down, so I can come back to it on harder days.