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Daily Question, March 5

Has living gratefully made me less fearful? If so, in what ways?

  • GCharlotte

    When I have a fear I smile being grateful for my senses the Lord gifted me with and the ability to love.

  • Tahsin Tabassum

    no, not really

  • reality

    I almost never fear. Thanks for all you All do; have a great day 🙂 reality

  • Malag

    It hasn’t made me less fearful. What it has done is create space for other feelings to abide also such as appreciation, gratitude, love, joy etc. That makes for a richer experience. I would try and avoid using gratitude as a medicine against fear although the temptation is there to do so.

  • Yesterday, dear friends encouraged me in the Lounge, as Palm says.
    I am enormously grateful for this.
    Now I know the link between the immune system and gratitude / positivity.
    The words of the people there help me stay centered on goodness, and in times of collective fear this is crucial.
    May you be well, from.my deepest heart.
    May God, Universe and science help the world.
    Maybe there is something to learn.

  • Ed

    The cup of fear and pain, I can’t control when it may be filled.
    The cup of joy, I can choose to fill that cup.
    It’s good to have a thankful place prepared when I need a change of mind.

  • Cailinrua

    I’m hoping that by focusing on what I can be thankful for will allow me to have a wider perspective and reduce stress. So far, I’m not really allowing that to happen except occasionally. I would like it to become an ongoing steadying practice.

  • Mica

    Yes – ‘faith and fear don’t live together’, or something of the sort that the guru Swami Satchidananda said. It’s hard to picture feeling gratitude and fear at the same time – I guess they would alternate. I’ll try to remember that, when I’m fearful or worrying: Be Grateful! [for all the stuff I’m not worrying about] – that should send the fear away

  • CATHOLIC DEE

    I think I am less fearfu as I have had some frightening moments and my knowing that I am grateful for the moment has helped.

  • Gerry

    Living gratefully has made me less fearful, by moving my focus to what is “right” and good about my life. The resulting optimism is one of the natural opposites of fear, an antidote.

  • Dusty Su
    When I’m grateful I’m more positive, I have more faith, and life generally feels better. It puts me in a better state of being with a much happier outlook on life. Things seem less impossible, and therefore fear is reduced. Someone once told me, “You don’t have to fight the darkness, all you have to do is turn on the light and the darkness disappears.” I think that applies a lot to fear as well. Gratitude being a cornerstone of light. With that said, I suffer PTSD which is very chal...

    When I’m grateful I’m more positive, I have more faith, and life generally feels better. It puts me in a better state of being with a much happier outlook on life. Things seem less impossible, and therefore fear is reduced. Someone once told me, “You don’t have to fight the darkness, all you have to do is turn on the light and the darkness disappears.” I think that applies a lot to fear as well. Gratitude being a cornerstone of light.

    With that said, I suffer PTSD which is very challenging. Especially when anxiety attacks appear seemingly out of nowhere. Nonetheless, besides using tried and proven tactics to reduce the anxiety, gratitude and centering helps for a quicker return to homeostasis.

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    • reality

      I hear you, just in the last year I’ve been suffering PTSD from being tortured; it seems the weaker I get the more susceptible to my past experiences I become- young at heart’s not covering it anymore. Yes, gratitude deepens and concentrates our solutioning with reality, ergo more success, feelings of mastery, fulfillment occurs, etc.. Thanks for all you do; have a good day ? reality

      • Dusty Su

        I wish it were not so for you Reality. It’s a tough road, and I find takes huge amounts of work. But it’s better than being continually overrun by PTSD. When my engine starts to shudder I’ve come to respect that it’s time to pull over, rest, recoup, and tune in order to tune up. I hope you have the support you need.

        Best wishes,
        Dusty

        • reality

          Most graci0us of you. Yes, that’s usual, if only it were that simple in my life. May you not suffer from PTSD ever again. Blessings be …. 🙂 reality

        • reality

          I wish it were not so for you too. I never thought I’d be this frail but it is also feeling and knowing how the majority of humanity feels, so, I’m grateful to a degree for it; even if it kills me- as this too is life. Thanks again 🙂 reality

          • Dusty Su

            It has been my bridge to better understanding others, that weakness and vulnerability can be strength, that our limitations may be kindness to self and others. Hurting can be hell, healing glimpses of heaven. May you heal well!

  • Antoinette

    Living gratefully has taught me to look at fear from an entirely different angle.
    Brother David’s teaching about stop, look and go is a wonderfully helpful angle to view fear from because it widens the lens.
    A liger view point allows me to open my heart mind to fear this transforms fear. Stopping and looking directly at fear creates a space for looking deeply. Then we can go on with an attitude of gratitude of relief and transformation. It’s a very organic and ritual full of surprises.

  • Katrina

    When I am conscious of practicing gratitude I am more cognizant of asking myself in the midst of fear, frustration, anger or despair “Where is the learning in this? For what can I be grateful? (And I try for the gratitude not to be “At least I’m not like those poor people!”) And what is God doing here?” I rarely have a complete answer to all three questions, but for me it’s important to ask them – to help me recenter and find my balance.

  • Michele

    Living gratefully had made me focus on living in the present. Right now coronavirus has many fearful but we just need to stay educated and not give in to the hysteria of it.

  • Cathy
    Oh yes! As I practice living gratefully, I notice a developing curiosity about feelings as they arise. Feeling afraid is undoubtedly one of them. In that curiosity, I discover that sometimes the fearfulness is good and useful as it serves to keep me steady on course. Other times, as I stand back and examine the feelings of fear and the anxiety it brings, I find no purpose or value for it. The more I allow my mind to explore it, the more I notice it dissipates. Next thing I know, I gratefully fee...

    Oh yes! As I practice living gratefully, I notice a developing curiosity about feelings as they arise. Feeling afraid is undoubtedly one of them. In that curiosity, I discover that sometimes the fearfulness is good and useful as it serves to keep me steady on course. Other times, as I stand back and examine the feelings of fear and the anxiety it brings, I find no purpose or value for it. The more I allow my mind to explore it, the more I notice it dissipates. Next thing I know, I gratefully feel such a burden of relief, and my mind has already gone deep into thought about something unrelated!

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  • devy

    Yes..living gratefully is teaching me to live in the present, don’t dwell in the past and don’t fear what may or may not happen tomorrow, Gratitude is teaching me to love myself for who I am, to accept aging gracefully and accepting it, and minimizes the fear of death.. knowing that I am a part of the greater picture helps

  • Sarah

    Definitely! When I am grateful, there is no room for negative thinking. Gratitude Arrests Negative thoughts. (ANT). Let’s squash the ANTS today friends!

    • Katrina

      Mind if I use this? I’m a preacher, so I tend to see or hear a sermon in everything. This will preach, in that it is a “take-home”.

    • Trish

      Sarah, you are so great! I want to be on your ant stomping team?

  • Trish

    As a woman living in a world filled with violence I am cognizant of my surroundings at all times. My level of fear has dissipated since my relationship with Christ has increased but it’s still there. It’s easier for me to move away from fear and into gratefulness and that’s a change that’s been empowering for sure.

  • sunnypatti

    Yes, it has. By living in gratitude, I find that I am better able to deal with the fears when they pop up. I’ve conditioned my mind so that when fears and worries arise, I look for something to be grateful for instead of investing myself in worry and all the “what if’s” like I used to.

  • Kevin

    I believe that I do live gratefully, but I have never felt that living gratefully had any bearing on whatever fear I might experience from time to time. In my mind and heart, those two emotions do not live in the same neighborhood.

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