POM - Peace of Mind
  • Home
  • POM Activities
  • About
  • Home
  • POM Activities
  • About

Gratitude is a Super Power!

Picture
Picture
I am grateful to be looking at gratitude yet again this blog!
Gratitude is an awesome superpower. I read recently that one of the most powerful statements you can make, feel or think is ‘thank you’. Thank you to others and yourself too.
 
It is so helpful to remember to be thankful to all those people in our lives who have been motherly, kind and caring toward us, including of course our own maternal mothers, to whom we owe so much, including our lives. Remembering to be thankful to friends, family and strangers too for the kindness they show us in all sorts of ways is powerful to promote our happiness and peace of mind. We'll talk more about gratitude for mothering kindness next blog, as it will be Mother's Day weekend. I'll be on board travelling from Canberra to Sydney!
 
It is also great to be thankful to others who give us the opportunity to be kind to them. This includes, friends, family, pets, strangers and of course our children or anyone we care for.

It's great to remember to tune into our wise selves to be kind and thankful to ourselves too. Seeing ourselves be a positive force in the world, being kind and grateful creates a happy perception. We can reinforce this goodness by being thankful to ourselves. We can be grateful to ourselves for doing our best to be a kind, positive force in the world. Remembering also to forgive ourselves and others for all those so called ‘mistakes’, more helpfully known as learning opportunities. 
 
The opportunities to extend kindness do not always come in the ways we expect and sometimes these kind acts are received without thanks. I find it helpful to thank myself, especially during those times like when I have spent a lot of time and effort doing something like making a family meal which is received with 'I don't like this!' Resting in my intention to have prepared a healthy meal and thanking myself helps to prevent resentment. A space I  have known very well. 

Sometimes extending kindness, especially as parents, can be in the form of a strong boundary like ‘please, don’t speak to me like that’, or ‘no, you can’t do that’. Such Kindness always has the intention to protect others from harm.

I can remember the need for such a strong kind boundary many years ago when I needed to enforce the ‘no sleeping with phone rule’ with my then thirteen-year-old. As I was saying goodnight to them, I discovered the phone under their bedclothes. I removed the phone and there was much subsequent protesting.  I needed to check in with my wise self to remember that my intention was to prevent harm and for them to get a good night’s sleep. I was then able to thank myself for being courageously kind, as the protests continued.  
 
More about gratitude and its awesome benefits next blog.
With love, appreciation and very best well wishes to us all 


​

Better FOR Others - Working Kindly with Sad and Sorry

12/6/2018

0 Comments

 
​Ever feel a bit sad and sorry for yourself, when something goes wrong, or even for no knowable reason? I have been feeling a little this way lately, for no particular reason. Why it is tempting to give myself a hard time or to overindulge the feelings and feel sorry for myself, I have been thinking about more helpful ways to work with sadness.

Whether the sadness is deep or just a general melancholy or whether it relates to a major loss or even something  that can't pinpoint there are some things we can do, that may be helpful. We are all different and some of these suggestions may or may not resonate with you. Whether they do or not, be mindful to remember to work with kindness and compassion for all, including yourself!

As we have said Mindfulness is word which has received lots of attention and hype. As I understand it, it simply means to pay attention to what is going on. Mindfulness is not a skill that we need to develop, it is a skill we already have, a skill we are all constantly using. So, we don't need to develop this ability but we do need to learn how to use it well. 

Alan Wallace reminds us ".. if we find we are out of sorts, we can note that and not beat ourselves up, not judge ourselves". Instead, we can  improve the quality of our attention we bring to our self talk, connection with others and situations? A quality of attention informed by kindness and respect. 

So what might be helpful to be mindful of, or simply remember, when I have the 'sads and sorry' for myself.....
  • I won't always feel this way - it will pass 
  • Accept 'sadness' is happening and ask 'what is my wisest response?' Not to blame, judge or criticise myself or others, but rather be kind and encouraging to all. 
  • Accept support from family and friends - According to your needs, find a balance between time alone and time spent with others 
  • Get plenty of sleep - I am certainly not my best to be around when I am tired and everything seems twice as bad.
  • Take care of your physical well being with healthy food, some time outdoors in nature and exercise
  • Avoid harmful habits - like lots of alcohol
  • Avoid making any big decisions - Remember that usually you do not have to decide or respond to things straight away - give yourself some time to feel better about things and then make the decisions necessary.
  • Feeling grateful for all the great things that are happening in this amazing life 
  • Give love and appreciation to yourself
  • Use this as an opportunity to develop compassion and empathy for others in similar situations
  • HELP OTHERS - This for me is the single most helpful way to overcome feeling sad and sorry for myself! This renews my sense of purpose and makes me feel happier. POMing around reminds me of this too. By doing my best to benefit others and involve other too makes me happy and stops me worrying about myself. 
  • Remember to love and appreciate yourself and your efforts to be a kind positive force in the world- no matter what the response or outcome, rest in your kind intention 
As Elizabeth Lesser says "Look for a way to lift someone up. And if that's all you do, that's enough."  Benefiting others or lifting someone up can be as simple as a smile, compliment or a simple kind act. Such acts of kindness are their own reward - they make us feel great. I was reminded the other day how great it feels to receive a compliment and how often I think of something I appreciate in another, and forget to express it!  So more appreciation and expression of it all around! 
  
Have a great fortnight - I look forward to connecting with you soon 

Kind Regards 
Maree xx

If you'd like to connect further, please get in touch to ...
Find out more about us and pom-melbourne  
 
Email me maree@pom-melbourne.com to
  • Buy POM products in support of the Kandy Women's Development Centre and other community projects  
  • Come to Crafternoon or attend a Workshop

Subscribe to pom-melbourne.com to receive my weekly blog posts 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Author

    Maree Fowler

    Archives

    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Subscribe to our mailing list and receive a free Mindfulness Meditation

    * indicates required

POM - Peace Of Mind.


Hours

Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm

Email

maree@pom-melbourne.com