This inspiring article by lovely  Maeve Lankford changed my day yesterday. Instead of sitting at home with a cloud of thoughts above my head, I took her lead and went for a gratitude walk in nature. And what a shift in my mood! Sometimes we disconnect from our ability to appreciate and get lost in a cycle of (over)thinking – which has a negative impact on how we feel and perceive our reality. Maeve’s simple, yet powerful example will take you back to the healthy basics – to the very state of gratitude, which can effectively shift your energy. Enjoy reading and the walk! 🙏  With love, Vero 

I hope you‘ve been enjoying the fine weather and getting out more in nature, what with both the gorgeous weather we’ve been having in Ireland and now the confirmed streeeeetch in the evenings since the clocks went forward. 

One of the most popular blogs I’ve ever written was the Wisdom Walk.  In it, you’re invited to use your walk as an opportunity to seek wisdom from the nature all around you, posing some questions and seeing what comes.

With all that is going on in the world currently, I wanted to create an opportunity to support you in this week’s blog to both be in nature – that brings its own rewards in terms of calming the mind and heart – and also to bolster you in the face of all the turmoil and challenge that’s going on in the world at this time.

So I’m inviting you to go on a Gratitude Walk!  This isn’t just any walk.  It’s a walk whereby you take the opportunity to savour the good that is there, present, vibrant and fully evident all around you on your walk.

When you look for things to be grateful for, you’ll find more and more of them.

Maeve Lankford

It is a feast for the senses and an opportunity to savour the gratitude you feel as you smell the scents around you, see the vibrancy in the colours and the new growth, hear the birds busily nesting, maybe there are gardeners at work or farmers setting crops in the fields as you go; what can you taste, wild garlic?  The freshness of the air around you?  Feel the sun shining on your face and soak up the vitamin D.

That might be enough to restore your spirits and energy! 

And if you have time for more and are so inclined, you can continue your gratitude reflections and consider all that’s good in your life currently, relationships and friendships you value, the work you do in the world; the comfort of your home and having a place to rest your head at the end of each day, your body and it’s capacity to take you on this walk; the challenges you’ve overcome in your life; the healthy decisions you’ve made. 

What you’ll find is that what you focus on develops!  When you look for things to be grateful for, you’ll find more and more of them.

If you need any final encouragement to go for a Gratitude Walk, these are the benefits as identified by Glenn Berkenkamp

• Recenters and focuses you.
• Increases blood circulation.
• Calms you.
• Improves sleep.
• Rewires your brain to look at things differently.
• Cultivates an appreciation for what may not have been appreciated before.
• Raises self-esteem and enhances empathy.
• Opens you to inspiration.
• Elevates your mood, increases happiness, and puts a smile on your face.
• Helps you break free of toxic thoughts and emotions.

What’s not to love?

When I went on my Gratitude Walk recently, I was so happy to be outdoors after a nasty dose of Covid, to feel the sun on my face and smell and taste the wild garlic in the hedgerows.  I was so grateful to my body for fighting the infection and even though I am still tired and lethargic, I was grateful to be recovering and on the mend.

What you focus on develops.  Be the person who chooses to focus your attention on what causes you to feel better.  Then you can respond as your best self to the people and circumstances that need you currently.

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AUTHOR: Dr Maeve Lankford
With over 25 years experience of working in people development and human potential, Maeve is a sought-after coach, speaker, facilitator and trainer. Specialising in leadership and self-leadership, team development, resilience and wellbeing, she is also an advocate for gender equality, particularly in Higher Education. 

You can join her programs and connect with her here: https://maevelankford.com/
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Credits:

main picture: Azgan Mjeshtri

second picture: Michelle Leman on pexels