HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND GRACE
Are you in the habit of practicing grace? It sounds wonderful to do, however, we all get pushed and pulled by everyday life and it’s ups and downs that, at most times, guide us toward harboring anger and frustration. If we just take some time before we speak to gather our feelings and speak from a state of grace versus from a state of anger and frustration. This is how practicing grace can improve our overall health and lifestyle. By treating people the way we want to be treated, we decrease stress, anger and frustration, which all cause dis-ease. By practicing grace, we improve ourselves overall.
What exactly is grace? Kathy Gottberg, author of ‘Finding Grace,’ defines graces as, “While the usual definition attaches all sorts of religious interpretations to the word, it is equally possible to accept it as a commonplace way of describing a serendipitous stream of unexpected good. In a similar way, that the word graceful is used to define elegance, refinement, and flow, grace-full can be used to describe an unhindered movement toward the unexpected and unearned rewards of a happy and fulfilled life.” Brene Brown states, “GRACE means that all of your mistakes now serve a PURPOSE instead of feeling shame.” In Kirsten Powers book, ‘Saving Grace,’ she states to “Speak your truth, stay centered, and learn to co-exist with people who drive you nuts.” By setting boundaries for yourself for what you are willing to discuss and what you aren’t willing to dive into, is practicing grace. When you set the boundaries, you don’t allow yourself to get into a situation that you may not be able to act in a state of grace. You may end up blowing up to people that just drive you crazy. (And, we all have those people in our families, as friends and work relations). In the Mom-Forum, ’10 Ways to Practice Grace in your Daily Life,’ they say, “Practicing grace is making daily choices to interact in the world with courtesy and good will. That doesn’t mean you disregard boundaries but you give yourself space to be flexible with your perceived reality with acceptance and kindness.” Grace isn’t an easy process to start. It takes daily practice, along with ‘trial and error.’ Be patient with yourself.
Okay, so now we know what grace is, how do we start incorporating grace into our lives? According to the Mom-Forum, there are “10 Ways to Practice Grace in your Daily Life,” briefly stated below, per Mom-Forum:
- Starting with yourself by treating yourself with kindness.
- Learn to let go. We can’t control everything in our lives. Don’t hold onto things that end up putting you in a negative space.
- Practice daily gratitude. If you start from a state of thankfulness it’s much easier to act with grace.
- Forgive. Let go of the anger.
- Apologize. Accept responsibility for your actions.
- Be mindful. Be aware of how you move through your daily life. Try to be attuned to your feelings, your environment, and those you interact with.
- Speak kindly. Kind words can go a long way.
- Have compassion. When you act from a place of compassion, you are extending goodwill to those around you.
- Accept people for who they are. People are who they are and you can’t change them. Acceptance of who someone is allows you to make a better choice about how to interact with them moving forward.
- Have a sense of humor. We often take life too seriously. Sometimes a good laugh will do you better than a good cry.
I really looked at Mom-Forum’s 10 Ways to Practice Grace…, as above, and it sounds easy; however, it does take practice and a commitment to follow the above 10 steps above. It’s kind of like dieting. You can’t just make quick changes to your diet, you need to make it a life change, and commit to that life change.
Other steps you can take is set boundaries for yourself. What topics do you refuse to discuss with others? We were always taught don’t discuss religion, politics or money with others. That may be a good place to start! Another step is to write down some of these tips that you can put on your computer, bathroom mirror, or refrigerator as a reminder. The more you see your ‘cheat sheet,’ the more it will be on your mind.
So how does finding and practicing grace help to improve your health? Look at how practicing gratitude changes your life. It makes you feel happier, more positive; makes you more aware of opportunities around you; makes you feel lighter; and makes it easier to deal with negative situations, for starters. This, in turn, decreases stress, which improves your health. The lighter and happier you feel allows you to address negative situations with increased grace, allowing you to build better and stronger relationships. When you are able to decrease stress, your immune system improves, you breathe easier and tend to lead a healthier life by eating healthier and exercising. Grace is like an extension of gratitude, which is why we benefit in the same ways from practicing grace as from having an attitude of gratitude.
After reading this, my hope is that even one person decides to start practicing grace. It not only will help this world we live in, but will help you. You will feel better in so many ways. Just watch. Try it for 21 days and see how different you feel and how different you act. One person at a time…