We all have those moments when we feel low, unhappy or a bit depressed. Somebody said something that hurt. Someone didn’t notice your good work and you felt bad. Your actions didn’t produce the desired results, and you got depressed. The problem with such feelings is the negative cycle they create, so it’s important that you quickly reverse the emotions. There are many ways to do that, but the one that takes the least amount of time and effort is gratefulness.

Sit in a quiet place, close your eyes and think of 30 good things in your life that you may be taking for granted e.g.

1. Waking up alive in the morning – thousands die every day
2. Seeing everyone else in the family also waking up alive and safe – no disasters
3. Having running water for brushing, shave and shower – millions in the world don’t
4. Having a choice of hot or cold or warm water for shower
5. Wearing nice clothes, with lots of choices and matching shoes and bag and jewelry
6. Eating breakfast and other meals – millions are starving to death
7. A job to go to – how many are jobless in your city/country?
8. A car, or other means of transport that allows you to get to work on time
9. Traffic that keeps moving
10. Weather that’s live-able – would you rather be at the poles or Sahara?
11. People trusting you with their problems at work
12. Appliances and technology that (seem to) make life easier – imagine life without a microwave, washing machine, mobile phone, computer…
13. Stable electricity – many places have daily power cuts
14. Getting paid on time
15. Our ability to see, hear, taste, touch, read, write, think, walk, talk, work, pray, love…
16. Our education, knowledge, skills, experience, values…
17. Having a home with furnishing and comforts
18. Someone waiting for you at home, someone to wait for
19. Someone that loves you, someone you love
20. Kids – so what if they are not like us
21. Friends, and people who care about you, people you care about
22. Home-cooked meal
23. Enough clothes to change a couple of times within a day
24. The air we breathe, water we drink, the variety of food we eat
25. Money in the pocket, money in the bank, credit cards – millions live under $1 per day
26. Newspapers, magazines and books to read
27. TV with 100 channels, and movies to watch
28. Games to play
29. Clubhouse or gym to workout
30. Parents – they are the reason for our being
31. Good health and fitness – thousands of hospitals in the world full of millions of sick
32. Functioning government
33. Good school for kids
34. Weekends, public holidays
35. Faith, religion, beliefs and values
36. Nice bed to sleep in, pillows, blankets, reading lamp, alarm clock…
37. Trees, flowers, sunrise, sunset, stars, moon, sea, mountain, rivers, breeze…

Gratefulness will almost immediately replace the negative feelings with positive ones. And will put you in the right frame of mind to deal with any problems or situations. Try it.

[Photo of a sunrise in Hong Kong – another sure-fire way to lift your spirits]