I’ve concluded the final week of practicing gratitude every day this month for National Gratitude Month.

Here’s what I was thankful for:

Day 22: I’m thankful for podcasts. It took me a while to jump onto the bandwagon but now it’s one of my favorite forms of entertainment. I’m realizing I mostly like podcasts that teach me something, but I’m grateful for the variety that’s out there.

Day 23: I’m thankful for candles. Here lately I’ve been lighting a scented candle in my office while I work. The warmth of the flame and the sweet smell of “autumn wreath” have had a very uplifting effect on my mood. I’m grateful for something so simple.

Day 24: I’m thankful for therapy and Xanax. I have a wonderful therapist who does a great job of validating my feelings while helping me to reframe my negative thoughts. Sometimes I just need someone to whom I can unload all of my stress and anxiety, and she helps me figure out how to make it more manageable. And on the days when it is simply too much to handle and none of the reframing, meditation, or grounding works, I can turn to the medication to calm my racing thoughts and pounding heart. I’ll never be ashamed of getting help when and where I need it, and I hope that in sharing my experiences, others will seek help without fear or shame. For this, I am grateful.

I’ve concluded the yet another week of practicing gratitude every day this month for National Gratitude Month.

Here’s what I was thankful for:

Day 15: In light of all that we’ve been through this year, I’m grateful that I’m still able to find joy where I can. For example, normally I’m one of those people who believes we absolutely should wait until one holiday passes before we celebrate the next. Thanksgiving first and then Christmas. But this year, we’ve thrown it all to the wind and it’s so much fun to do what we want! I decorated for Halloween at the end of August and we put up our Christmas tree on Sunday. While we haven’t fully decorated our tree yet, it does have lights and those lights make me extremely happy, filling me with cheer and hope even as the days get shorter and the nights get colder and the coronavirus cases spike again. We may just leave this tree up for all of 2021.

Day 16:  I’m thankful that sometimes things aren’t always as bad as they may initially seem. When you suffer from anxiety, there’s a tendency to always overthink and misread. Luckily, things often work out just fine despite our worst fears, and I’m very grateful for that. Last month I made a very tough–and honestly, stupid–decision to leave my current job at the end of the month to pursue something I’m more passionate about. I’ve been miserable at work for a while now (what else is new?) and it has been affecting my physical and mental health. I don’t have anything concrete lined up yet but a few things are in the works so I have hope and am thankful that I’m able to take this huge leap right now at a time when everything is so uncertain.

Day 17: I’m grateful for tummy tickles and blissful laughter at bedtime. Parenting is hard. Being a 3.5 year old with big feelings and little control over them is hard. So when we get a chance to just play and laugh, we take it even if delays bedtime. Tonight, after reading our bedtime stories, I laid in Sebastian’s bed with him and tickled him while he laughed and just enjoyed the time I get to spend with him. He’s growing up so fast so I’m incredibly thankful for these little moments.