Transforming ‘Problems’ with Gratitude (Exercise)

  by Aine Belton

I wanted to offer a slightly more unconventional use of gratitude with the exercise below for transforming ‘problem’ areas.

Feeling grateful aligns you to, and therefore helps magnetize, that which you love and is in your highest, inviting in more of the same – greater love, joy, success and blessings into your life.

Gratitude opens your heart, raises your energy, and can elevate you from even the darkest of states.

In appreciating and feeling grateful for something, you essentially ‘receive’ it and let it in, as well as give to it from your heart. It’s a wonderful give-receive exchange of energies.

When you feel grateful you are also directing your focus and attention towards that which will enhance your energy and life and generate positive outcomes.

Below is another way to use gratitude that can be very healing and transforming…

Transforming ‘Problem’ Areas with Gratitude (Exercise)

If there’s an area of your life that feels challenging, blocked, is not going as you think you would like, or is causing pain, fear, anguish or frustration, try applying gratitude as an anti-dote and transformer.

To do this, in any challenging or problem area, look to anything you can feel grateful for in the person/situation/circumstance surrounding the issue.

Look to what is positive, what you possibly appreciate, or what can possibly become positive from the situation.

Does the situation hold any gifts? Are there any benefits to it you can feel grateful for?

This is not the same as being grateful for the situation per se, which can be unrealistic if it is one that you are unhappy with, and also lead to denial. There is no point pretending you feel grateful through a wall of anger, for example. Gratitude is only gratitude when it’s genuinely felt.

Before looking at things from a different and more objective perspective honour and allow yourself to feel whatever constricting feelings are there so they can move through you and be released. If you’re ‘trying’ to feel gratitude it may not be the best emotion to begin with. What are you genuinely feeling. You may have to release some of that first.

This exercise the idea is to pick out the gems in a problem situation, focus on the gifts and light it may hold, and explore new perspectives that may help to transform the experience. Very often when we look back at problems and challenges we DO feel grateful for them, realizing what we gained, what it led to that was beneficial, or what healing, awareness or love was catalyzed through it.

This exercise can also help us take greater responsibility for the parts of us that may have wanted or manifested this problem. What you take responsibility for you are more able and willing to change. 

Responsibility brings freedom and empowerment.

If you can get to a place where you feel grateful for a challenge, the challenge may dissolve since the gifts, healing and awareness it was bringing up have been received. Gratitude can also bring in a new perspective that unhinges unconscious reactions and ego agendas that may be keeping a situation alive.

To help with this, try asking yourself the questions below in relation with what may be troubling you:

* What have I learned or can I learn from this situation?

* What gifts have I received or might I receive from this person or situation that could be a benefit to me?

* How might my life be better for this, and if not right now, then in the future?

* Has my love and compassion deepened or does it have the potential for doing so through this situation?

* How can this situation open me to more love for myself, others and the world?

* Have I become stronger or wiser, or have the potential for doing so through this situation?

* How has this challenge helped me discover more about myself?

* What positive qualities or experiences has this person or situation exhibited that I can be grateful for?

* What good has come from this challenge, or could come from this experience, for myself/others/my future/ the world?

* Am I now incentivized for positive inner or outer change in any way (for which I can feel grateful)?

* What positive qualities and traits have I discovered or demonstrated in dealing with this challenge (that I can feel grateful for)?

Obviously you can do other things such as reflect on why you may have created or allowed this situation, love yourself, forgive yourself and others, let go of limiting beliefs and stories that may be generating the experience, and so on.

Gratitude in itself, however, will begin to shift your energy and vibration and be a catalyst for transformation.

One ‘problem’ area that stands out for me personally where this process can be helpful is with endings of relationships. I have found break-ups challenging in the past, but when I look back further along I am grateful for every ending, knowing that each made way for a new beginning that I couldn’t see at the time.

Feel free to also share any thoughts or feedback from the above exercise.

Can you also think of any ‘problems’ you once had that you are now grateful for?

And who and what are you grateful for today? Feel free to share.

Much love,
Aine Belton