Gratitude When It’s Hard
Finding Light in difficult times
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Gratitude. It’s a word that gets thrown around so much this time of year that it can start to feel hollow. Everyone tells us to “be grateful,” as though it’s something we can conjure up on demand. But what happens when gratitude feels out of reach? What if this week feels more heavy than light, more lonely than warm?
If you’re in that place, I want you to know that I see you. I’ve been there, too. But I’ve learned that gratitude isn’t about forcing yourself to feel thankful when your heart is aching. It’s about leaning into what is—even if what is feels messy or imperfect.
Sometimes gratitude is as small as noticing the way sunlight filters through a window. It’s the comfort of a warm drink in your hands or the sound of laughter, even if it’s just from a stranger passing by.
Gratitude can be reluctant, quiet, or even bittersweet. It doesn’t mean ignoring your pain or pretending everything is okay. It means saying, “Even though things are hard, I can still hold space for this one small thing.”
Writing Your Way Toward Gratitude
Writing has always been a way for me to process the complicated layers of my emotions. When gratitude feels distant, writing helps me reach for it, not as something I’m supposed to feel, but as something I can gently uncover.
Here are a few restorative writing prompts to help you explore gratitude this week + A practice for finding gratitude, even when it feels hard:
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