Thanksgiving has always been heralded as that time in which we praise God for all the wonderful things we have. In keeping to this idea, there is a trend on Facebook, during the month of November, called #30daysofgratitude. The general idea is to write one thing, every day, for which you are grateful. Most people don’t write, “I am sooooo thankful for my rose gold iPhone 6 Plus,” but, rather, something more along the lines of “I’m thankful for the roof over my head, the food I can afford with the job I have, and the people who surround and love me.” Although I have not been participating in #30daysofgratitude, my status today might look something like this:

“I am grateful that that student called me a b*tch today instead of hitting me. I am grateful I had the strength to walk away, to not cry in front of him, to continue to enforce the rules.” (Let’s take a moment to pause here. Yes, I am a b*tch because I want him to do work in my class instead of watching youtube videos and talking to his friends. #sarcasm)

Today is one of those days that started frustratingly, and I incorrectly assumed would get better as the day progressed. It’s days like this that make me laugh at the #30daysofgratitude statuses all over my Facebook News Feed. However, I think there is some kind of psychological balancing that happens when you participate in such a trend, even if it’s not in a public manner. When I was little, someone told me that, when I have a bad day, I should make two lists. The first list–the one you write first–should list every bad thing in your life. The second list–the one you write after–should list all the good things in your life. It is guaranteed that you will have more positives than negatives in your life. It looks something like this:

List 1: Bad

•  That student
• The leak in my car
• The cost of car repairs
• Frustrating situation at work
• Stress over budgeting
• Stress over wedding details
• Stress over more wedding details

List 2: Good

• Jesus’s death for me
• Family
• Friends
• Kyle
• Place to live
• Job
• Money (can live independently)
• Car
• Food
• Books
• Physical health
• Mental health
• Education
• Parents’ health
• Etc.

If you notice, I could have gone on and on with list 2. Additionally, the things on list 2 are a lot more important than the things on list 1. The things on list 1 are momentary, things that will eventually be resolved. The things on list 2 are longer-lasting, things that I could not live without. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the things in list 2 because they’re always there while the things in list 1 are current stressors; they are first and foremost in the mind. This little activity–commonly referred to by the cliché “count your blessings”–can help to put life into perspective. I even know people who keep a running list, adding to list 2 as they remember things and removing from list 1 once things are resolved. I have been told that list 2 is still always longer even when things are added to list 1. More importantly, however, is that, once you complete this activity, your outlook on life will change. Like I said: it’s psychological balancing!

–Mads

P.S. Don’t have time to do this activity, but feeling bummed about your life? Check out one of my favorite infographics instead: