Here’s a Sample of the “Gratitude When You’ve Got Attitude” Guided Meditation Script:
“Count your blessing! Stay positive! Good vibes only!”
Pop culture puts a lot of emphasis on gratitude.
But it can be really hard to be grateful when we’re full to the brim with anger, frustration, hopelessness or grief.
Instead of trying to force gratitude, which often doesn’t work, this meditation allows the experience of not being grateful – of being pissed off, sad, lost, or in despair – before finding the space to be grateful.
So how do we do this? What does it mean to “make space” for a feeling?
Psychologist and biophysicist Dr. Peter Levine studied how animals release trauma. After they’ve been under threat, animals recover by allowing their bodies to shake.
Because emotions live in our bodies.
As much as they might feel like ephemeral things we cannot grasp or understand, our emotions are actually physical and chemical manifestations of our thoughts, which our bodies are trying to process.
If you want to experience gratitude but are feeling blocked, ask yourself:
What’s eclipsing my gratitude?
What is stopping me from feeling more grateful?
Try to keep to keep the answers to feelings (i.e “I’m feeling frustrated”) rather than stories (ie. “I’m mad at my sister and she won’t return any of my texts and she’s being passive-aggressive and…”).
It might help to write your answers down, or say them out loud.
“I’m feeling lonely.”
“I’m anxious and afraid.”
“I just feel hopeless.”
(pause a while...)
Once you feel you’ve listed out the range of difficult emotions you’re feeling, choose one, and explore your body to see where you are experiencing it.
