Saturday, February 28, 2009

Gratitude Bracelets: How Jewelry Can Keep You Positive

By Deanna Collins

Gratitude bracelets can be an aid to staying positive, especially when all odds seem to be against us. Life's problems can easily get us down, and when the going gets tough it's time to fight back. We don't want to claim defeat over any issue which has the possibility of taking our motivation out from under us.

Discovering the Importance of Gratitude

It's a fact that there is always somebody worse off then us. That might seem like small consolation when life seems to be going along poorly, but recognizing the blessings that we enjoy is a small but powerful step towards cultivating a positive outlook.

Viewing things objectively by detaching ourselves can often be a quite difficult task. Any pessimistic thoughts or attitudes towards a given situation are only likely to compound the problem. Consider the situation of someone with a depressive illness; by the illness causing situations to appear far worse than they actually are, and other subsequent events needing to be dealt with are often interpreted in negative terms as well. This is where the downward spiral can begin.

A pessimistic attitude can be appropriate in certain situations. Finding a balance and seeking for ways to keep perceptions and reactions in their rightful place is the key to ensuring misplaced optimism or denial does not evolve into situations as damaging as any negative attitude. The most important focus point regarding our experiences and the counterbalance is as important as gratitude itself.

What Do I Have To Be Grateful For?

Most of us have far more to be grateful for than we recognize. It's easy to take the positives in life for granted instead of counting our blessings. Keeping a gratitude journal has been proven to be effective in enhancing happiness. It simply means keeping a daily record of what we have to be grateful for. That could be something good that happens, appreciating our friends and family or even celebrating small strokes of luck. Once you seek out the positives, you may be amazed at how many things you have to be grateful for.

Gratitude Bracelets and a Positive Attitude

Maintaining a positive attitude by using gratitude as a tool provides you with regular reinforcement. Even though we are using a gratitude journal as a tool to remind us on a daily basis what our blessings or what the positive things are in our lives, a gratitude bracelet can also be a tool to keep those positive thoughts in place. By stopping for a few seconds every time you put your bracelet on, take it off or even look at it you are providing yourself with a reminder of those many things you have to be happy about. Leave the reasons you have for discontent aside and just focus on the positives at these times.

You could wear a gratitude bracelet as a general reminder of the positive things in your life or choose a bracelet with beads that symbolize particular things that enrich your life: people, pets, health, and nature. Choose a color that will remind you of the eyes of a loved one or a material whose feel reminds you of something you have and love.

With endless possibilities, once the connection is made between the bracelet and all things positive in your life it will be easy to be reminding of these things with a glance or the feel of your gratitude bracelet. If you wish to enrich the life of someone else and give one as a gift their feeling of gratitude will include you, as well as other loved ones. What better gift is there to remind you of all of the world's beauty?

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