Dear Enchantress,

I am so stuck on focusing on the negative. I know I should be grateful, and I try, but I spend my days in mind suffering land, with too many people texting and calling and wanting things or asking things or checking in and it makes me want to run away. I use gratitude for my house, roof on my head, food on my table etc. 

I have OK days, so I don’t think I’m capital D depressed, but I ain’t right. I used to go to a therapist, but that made it worse, and now I do yoga, and meditate and do all these things but it’s like I do them to get away from my mind that races and tortures me. Got any insight on how I can use gratitude better? 

Dear Sister, 

I see the suffering you’re in, and what a big deal for you to have the energy to take the action to write to me. This Dear Enchantress will help many, so I want you to know you are already headed in the right direction because there are many folks who couldn’t muster up the energy or awareness to reach out. Good for doing all the yoga and meditation, those things are the RIGHT things. Next, let’s play with the gratitude. The big things like gratitude for having a roof over your head and food on the table, are basic needs or rather survival type things. If you didn’t have them, it would affect your safety. While these are good, they can trigger the fact that you’re ONLY giving credit to basic needs. Doing yoga and meditation are bigger than basic, having the internet is more than survival. So, let’s play here. I’m going to give you small, tiny things to be grateful for to start off your mindset around gratitude to use it in a more abundant way that will have more of an impact on how you feel. 

1. Take time to feel the sun and note how it feels on your skin.

2. Enjoy a hot shower, slowly.

3. Sip your coffee when it’s at the exact right temperature. 

4. Get your eyeballs up close to a flower and see the perfection of it.

5. Enjoy using something up in your home, finishing something.

 6. Draw faces on your eggs. 

7. Tidy up a corner of your home. 

8. Take a nap in the middle of the day.

9. Make a list of things you enjoy doing. 

10. Take a bath in the dark.

These are ten things to do and to inspire you to take actions that are free and possible right now. You might want to hang this list on the refrigerator, or your bathroom mirror. You will also want to put them in your date book or calendar, so you make sure they actually happen. 

If you have a question for Enchantress Shane, you can ask her at 

Love@enchantedembodiment.com 

By Shane Kulman