Do You Struggle With Transitions? Gratitude Helps

Greetings from Wellfleet Massachusetts.

On May 8, my husband Chip, our dog Murphy, and I loaded up our car and embarked on a 19-day cross-country trip. 4,700 miles later we arrived.

It’s a transition I anticipate, as we make this trek each year. Wellfleet is a special place for both of us, our kids, extended family – and Murphy. 

Last year we drove straight through in four days because of Covid. This year felt very different as we transition out of the depths of the pandemic. We were able to visit our two sons (in Texas and New Hampshire) and some dear friends along the way.

The trip was a great opportunity to slow down, notice all the nuances of the new places we saw and reconnect with each other during the long drives.

And, the trip made me feel deep gratitude. Gratitude for the people and places, gratitude for the time to relax and notice. Gratitude for adventure and spontaneity after a year of constraint. Gratitude for the beauty I saw and the kindness I received.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I’m a huge fan of gratitude, for its own sake, how it makes others feel and how it changes how you feel. But you may be wondering, what does gratitude have to do with transitions?

I used to dread transitions. They’d fill me with fear and cause me to procrastinate, which resulted in anxiety (and making mistakes). But when you adopt a grateful attitude, it helps you feel more upbeat and able to deal better with stress and difficulty. So finding something that you’re grateful for before or during a transition can help you stay calm, less stressed and more effective. Try it, it really does help.

Even a small dose of gratitude, can make you feel better and have a profound effect on your outlook and level of stress.

Some transitions are planned (a trip, a graduation, retirement) but many are not. You don’t always know when a transition will arrive. But if you have a habit of gratitude, the positive effects are there for you for both planned and unplanned transitions.

There are many ways you can create a habit of gratitude. I have lots of ideas to share, but everyone is different. You’ll want to figure out what resonates with you and what you like doing, so you can create a habit you enjoy. I’m here to help!

Please download my 7 Days of Gratitude ebook (it’s free). You’ll receive the ebook with different types of gratitude practice to try out, as well as support emails from me with additional resources. My hope is that you’ll find one or more practices that resonate and then add them to your day.

To your resilience and calm through transitions, with a little help from gratitude!

P.S. If you want to read more about creating habits, read this and this.