Gratitude is an interesting concept and one that has powerful benefits that are often underestimated. I’ve been a snowball of negativity as of lately. I won’t get into the details of why, but man, I’m not sure how pleasant I have been to be around. Then Friday hit. I knew for a fact that I didn’t want to go into the weekend, two whole glorious days of relaxing, being in a negative state of mind. So, I thought back to what I would tell my clients, and gratitude came to mind. So often we get caught up in the things we don’t have, the things that aren’t going our way, the circumstances we can’t control, the small annoyances of the day, and BAM! we are in, what I call, the snowball effect. One negative situation builds upon the next and the next thing you know it’s out of control and you can’t stop it!

Which brings me back to gratitude. Numerous studies have shown the positive effects gratitude can have on an individual. Having an attitude of gratitude has been linked to better health, sounder sleep (AMEN to that!), less anxiety/depression (more on anxiety this week, stay tuned), higher long-term satisfaction with life, and more positive interactions with others (especially significant others). That sounded pretty good to me, so I put together a list of what I had to be grateful for over the past week. Surprisingly, as I reflected on the list, I realized that the situations that were making be feel so negative were, in all reality, minute to the many things I had to be thankful for. In doing so, I was a much more pleasant person to be around this weekend! I would encourage you to keep a gratitude journal. Look at it when you feel negative and remember all you have to be grateful for. OR, perform a simple act of kindness for an individual who has done something nice for you, or who could benefit from some cheering up! More than likely you will feel better! Below are my top five things I was grateful for (It’s pretty simple!).

{Anthropologie mugs and coasters}

Our Monday posts will be all about gratitude…. what we were grateful for, or how we expressed gratitude towards others throughout the week! It’s a healthy act to engage in on a regular basis and helps to create a balanced and healthy mind and body! I’m sold!

AND! To demonstrate our gratitude to our loyal followers and readers, we are having a give away! Today marks a month of our blog being “live!” and we can’t express how thankful we have been for the support thus far. We are giving away a $25 Spa Finder (click on the link to learn more about the company) gift certificate to one follower to indulge in some self-care!

DETAILS:

To be eligible you must:

1. Be an “itsybitsyindulgences” follower (you can do this by clicking the “follow” button on our page)

2. Re-post this giveaway on your Facebook page

For an extra entry:

1. Leave a comment saying what you are “grateful” for or how you would indulge at the spa!

Giveaway closes on 2.25.13 and the winner will be drawn at random

~Shannon <3