I sometimes counsel people who are experiencing large amounts of stress in their lives, which feels overwhelming. They don’t know where to start to make change as it all feels too hard. Consequently, they just give up. Some people continue to do things the way they always have, even though they know it doesn’t work, in the hope that this time it may be different.

The key is to start small – finding just a tiny thing that we can address today. Recently I heard a great suggestion. As we get out of bed, or even as we wake up in the morning, we can make a commitment to find at least 20 things each day that we can be thankful for, right here where we are. So as I wake up, I may give thanks for the nice warm bed I have on a cold morning, for the lovely hot water as it streams down my back in the shower, for the smell of coffee, or the warming  cup of tea, for the sun shining in the window or the rain we have been needing so badly for so long.

Get the idea? It is not hard to get to 10 before we even leave the house, and long before we reach 20, we feel a bit brighter and less stressed. It also helps lift a depressed mood and starts our focus on what it good in our lives, rather than all that is wrong.

Try it today – you may be surprised at the outcomes!