think that in theory most of us recognize the importance of gratitude. Being appreciative and grateful for what we have makes a lot of sense, and yet in practice it is often hard to do.

I have recently experienced gratitude during a very familiar activity: breathing. I should back up at this point and tell you that for the majority of my life (up until 2 years ago) I couldn’t breathe through my nose at all. Thanks to a deviated septum and sinus problems, I had to rely solely on my mouth to get any air. As you might imagine (perhaps you can think of a time when you had a horrible cold), this caused constant struggle and difficulty throughout every aspect of my life. At the time, however, I honestly didn’t know any different, and although on a theoretical level I knew I was suffering, practically I was just living life as I always had. Fast forward to finally agreeing to have surgery, and to the day I took my very first deep nasal breath (diaphragmatic and everything).

Well, that really was the beginning of a new kind of life. And only since that day, have I really come to appreciate something as simple and automatic as breathing. This experience has taught me a couple of things. 1. How much of a difference one change can make on a general and specific level, and 2. It really is hard to appreciate something unless you have experienced not having it.

You can also check out this video of Dr. Stacey and I speaking about gratitude.

Well, the times that I really need a deep breath are usually when I’m stressed or overwhelmed. Being thankful for breathing during those times helps to alleviate the constant overwhelm of the moment, and gives me a tiny, but much needed break in my thinking and awareness. And that’s the thing with gratitude (as with everything else), it isn’t all or nothing. Just because you feel upset with something in your life, doesn’t mean you can’t also feel grateful. And likewise, just because you feel grateful, doesn’t mean you also don’t have the right to complain and be upset at the same time. An all or nothing approach can keep us stuck, and create inner turmoil to which there sometimes doesn’t seem to be an end. By welcoming gratitude into our life, we can help balance our perspective, approach, and overall feelings, and increase our flexibility and resiliency.