Lately I have been feeling as though things aren’t going
well, feelings of discontent and irritation. But when I think about my “problems,”
it becomes apparent that the issues that I deal with on a daily basis are small
in comparison to what they could be.
For instance, I went to the dentist today and was told that
I have four cavities, despite me flossing, using mouth wash, and brushing my
teeth twice every day. My initial reaction was a mix between irritation and
disappointment. After all the trouble I
go through to take care of my teeth, I still have four cavities? I have to deal
with painful shots and a numb mouth? This is going to ruin my day…
But what if I wasn’t able to see a dentist at all? What if I
couldn’t afford to get dental care? I am fortunate to be able to go to the
dentist to fix my teeth; I should be grateful that my cavities are going to be
filled.
Another example is school work. I feel as though I am
constantly chained to my school work: I just can’t seem to get away from it.
Math and reading and writing and more reading. I am so sick of homework; it’s consuming my life and making me feel miserable…
But what if I couldn’t afford an education in the first
place? What if I had to work ten hours a day on some physical labor job that
barely paid me any money? I should be grateful that I am able to get an
education from a university.
Notice that I have said “should be grateful.” It is so hard
to realize how fortunate you are when you haven’t experienced the lack of
something. Despite realizing that I “should” be grateful for, I find it impossible
to truly be grateful for it.
Yes, I can walk, but I have never experienced not being able
to walk. Yes, I have a running water, but I have never experienced not having
running water. Yes, I have food, but I have never experienced true starvation.
So what am I to do? How can I look past my trivial problems
and see how fortunate I am?
I would love to hear what all of you have to say about this
topic. Do any of you feel the same way I do? Are there any strategies you have for
seeing the positive things in life?
Thomas, I understand excatly what you are saying. There are times where I get so stressed and aggervated at the little things that are going on around me that I lose focus on the big picture and who is in my corner supporting me. When this happens I usually try regaining focus by saying what or who i am blessed/grateful for. A lot of times I say I am extremely gratefull for my mother and the things she does for me that I took for-granted for. For example, now that I am an "adult" and have to do it, but calling me a doctors appointment. Something so small and takes no time, but I seem to always lean to her for it. Or now that im out of the house and have to cook my own meals and i cant depend on coming home to a freshly cooked meal by my mother. Try and think of the little things that you have to do by yourself now that you are older, this may or may not help but it works for me.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I will suggest is maybe talk to Kristi Nickless in our class. Ask her about her trip to Hati and all of her experiences she had on the trip. What all did she see that impacted her? How does she try and feel more fortunate? Maybe, just maybe, you would be interested in going on a trip to see something similar to what she did. I hope this helps, Have a good night Thomas.
Thomas this is so good! I find myself doing and thinking the same way, especially since I have moved up here and started college. Summer was great. It was so easy to be happy and grateful because I was surrounded by others who lifted me up and I didn’t have a care in the world. But it’s much harder when you get back to reality and look at your life for what it is. As a college student, we have to worry about grades, homework, work, making enough money to pay the bills, LAUNDRY, having a social life, and getting enough sleep (there’s so much more). It’s hard to be grateful when we have all of these things being thrown at us at once. But you’re right, it shouldn’t be hard for us to appreciate the life we have been given. As someone who has been to a third world country, and has seen what others have to go through on a daily basis, I guess I have a special insight to this. However, to be completely honest, even after seeing starving, dying children who walk miles upon miles to get just a little water for the week, I still have trouble being grateful for everything I have. It’s easy to let your own life and problems consume you and to forget about what’s important, even for someone who has seen what others have to go through. It’s a constant battle for me. When I feel negative thoughts creeping in, or want to complain, I remind myself of the community that I visited in Haiti. Sometimes it helps, and other times, I just continue with my pity party. One thing that does help me though is when I literally say these words in my brain, “did I have to walk up a mountain in the heat without shoes on to get water today?” I’ll repeat it again: It’s a constant battle. But we’re only human.
ReplyDeleteI suggest maybe picking out a specific phrase like I did to constantly remind you that you are blessed. And yes I agree with Alex, if you ever have the funds (resources are usually available for you to achieve them) I would highly suggest going somewhere like that. Or even volunteering at a homeless shelter or nursing home here in St. Louis.
I think this is something that almost all of us can relate to. In college especially, our lives get so hectic at times. We become stressed with school, work, and having a social life. Our minds are constantly filled with the things we need to complete by a deadline or a big test we need to study for. Our busy, stressful lives make it too easy to take everything we have for granted. It's so important that remember how blessed we are. We are all attending a university that is providing us with an excellent education. Education is so easy to take for granted. There are so many factors to complain about. But what if we didn't have that opportunity? What if we were sent to work in a field for a few cents a day? We are so blessed and although it's easy to get side track from the positives, we should try to take a step back when we're stressed and realize all that we have.
ReplyDeleteAs far as mission work, I am extremely interested in getting involved in service work. I volunteered locally a lot through high school, but the thought of going to a poor country and making a difference is something I would love to do.
This is exactly how I feel today as I had an unusual and stressful weekend. I thrown multiple highs and lows that made my mood bounce. After all that had occurred, I decided not to stress over want I cannot change. Similarly, I went to the dentist this morning - the place I least enjoy as sitting in the chair alone fills me with anxiety. Although I was uncomfortable and tired, I was grateful my tooth was fixed and my appointment was so short. I've been having a wonderful morning as I chose to appreciate the positives.
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to be stressed in our fast-moving world. We are so caught up in this fast paced life that we seldom stop to appreciate and enjoy what surrounds us. My advice on being grateful is to appreciate what you what you have. Enjoy what you can because it only lasts for so long. Live in the present, remember the last, and remain optimistic of the future. I find that being in negative situations may causes me to focus on the negatives of life - but I have learned to pick myself up because with each negative comes a positive. I believe that each situation in life is lesson, and we have the choice of what we want to take away from those moments. To become more grateful, I think it is important to understand this.
I can relate to what you said about your dentist visit. The same thing happens to me. I do my best to take care of my teeth, yet I someone end up with cavities. It is very frustrating, but you make a good point. I should be grateful that I have access to a dentist, because not many people do.
ReplyDeleteI also can relate to how small things stress me out sometimes. They really shouldn’t stress me out that much, but it seems like the smallest things can cause the most stress. For some reason I seem to stress the small things too much.