Isn’t it human nature to become sad instead of focusing on what went right?
Life occurrences are unpredictable; sometimes, they turn out well, and sometimes they don’t. There is no such thing as an unfavorable circumstance because God always works for our growth and betterment.
However, we tend to focus on sad events instead of finding what’s good in that particular situation. When life brings hard times, it isn’t easy to feel thankful and focus on building and noticing something positive in those situations.
How can we express gratitude when sad because things don’t go our way?
Indeed, it’s tough. I agree wholeheartedly, but the essence of happiness and a blessed life lies within our perspective. Our future depends on how we react to the sad things in our lives. It’s okay to feel sad sometimes, but we must realize there is always something to be grateful for.
For example, you lost your job for some reason, or perhaps you weren’t even at fault.
How will someone feel grateful after losing their job?
Worse, you haven’t done anything wrong, which makes you feel even worse inside and encourages more negative emotions and thoughts.
You must ask, “Why God?” as you stare at the sky. Why is it always me? On the other hand, God is aware that he has a better plan for your growth, prosperity, and recognition.
Meanwhile, God wants you to feel grateful and have patience. Even if you don’t know, gratitude can help you overcome negative feelings and lets you pay attention to what you can do next in your life.
Just cry and feel sad for as long as you need to regain your balance. After that, practice gratitude and trust in God’s plan. In this article, we’ll highlight those sad things in your life and ways to practice gratitude for positive life-changing experiences.
Five Things You Should Be Grateful (Instead of Being Sad)
Unpredictability is a part of life and continues until we die. So, here are five sad things to be grateful for:
1. Losing Your Job
Losing your source of income is a very depressing and unpleasant surprise for everyone. Working honestly and spending most of our day at work means we should attain financial stability without even considering the sacrifices we make each day.
However, life is not always about smooth and easy lanes. The road breakers lead to beautiful destinations.
It would be a blessing in disguise to lose your job. Now, you can devote yourself to realizing your aspirations and making them a reality. It’s normal to experience anxiety and stress at this time, but realizing the power of gratitude is essential to get through it.
A better job or business venture awaits you at the other end.
2. Ending a Relationship or Marriage
The hardest relationship to leave is one we think will last forever. In contrast, staying in a relationship you don’t deserve hurts harder.
When there is passion, care, compatibility, and, most importantly, love for the other person, we stay in a relationship or marriage. It aches our hearts to end all those special moments and memories we wanted to last forever.
However, staying in a toxic or abusive relationship is not wise. The imaginary image you have of that individual may not be real.
Therefore, we must choose rather than try to defend them using our fictitious impression; neither is staying together a good idea. That marriage or relationship must end since continuing it will only make you and your partner suffer.
Gratefulness towards God should peak after losing a relationship that no longer serves you. Even after a relationship has ended, there is much to be grateful about the worse things that didn’t happen.
Related: Emotional Baggage Definition
3. Receiving a Serious Disease Diagnosis
No matter what, receiving a call from the doctor’s office that you have a serious illness never evokes feelings of gratitude. However, try to envision the worst thing that could happen.
You have a continual illness, fatigue, and stress related to something in your body, but doctors cannot identify the root cause. Isn’t it scarier than figuring out what the illness is?
Because if the doctor is aware of the illness, appropriate care and treatment will enable you to recover, even if it means staying in the hospital for a few days or weeks, but ultimately the doctor sends you home.
When this happens, you should become more grateful because a correct diagnosis is made, and treatment can be planned. This will also protect your friends or family members from getting sick because of you.
4. Asking for Help and Getting Excuses
Everyone has close friends or family members they consider their “confidantes.” Those who will go above and beyond for you because you know that you will do the same for them. But this isn’t always the case.
The people we think are our true friends may not be real friends or who are always there for us during tough times. We only learn this after going through difficult experiences.
Life is full of surprises. Asking people for help, whether it be emotional or financial, can reveal a lot about their true character. This is especially true when it comes to financial assistance.
You will agree that not receiving help from those friends is the best thing to happen.
There is no doubt that is one of the worst emotions. However, the valuable lessons it teaches are worth it. You should be particularly grateful to those individuals, the tough times of your life, and God for making you stronger and able to handle your problems independently.
5. Death of a Parent
It is still impossible for most individuals to imagine losing a loved one. We pray that our parents live longer than us. However, if we consider it practically, we realize this isn’t possible.
The lack of gratitude felt after someone’s death is understandable. However, it’s important to remember that as we age, our bodies stop working properly and become susceptible to various diseases.
Depending on others for support and spending days in bed suffering from illnesses, they may have. Isn’t it more painful than death?
Everyone will experience death at some point, which is a beautiful experience. Therefore, reframe your life with a new perspective.
Accept the fact, spend as much time as you can with your parents, make their life as happy as you can while they are still living, and be grateful for the sacrifices they made that even you are unaware of and, of course, having such wonderful parents.
How Should We Practice Gratitude?
Gratitude practice without a clear vision is never worthwhile. Wanting genuine gratitude for something is an inner feeling that comes only after you have genuine reasons to do so.
The main reason for expressing gratitude is that God does everything for our betterment, and grateful people can do anything in life (as long as it’s for their benefit).
Focusing on gratitude for everything you have and experience will bring positivity and new good experiences into your life. Be grateful without invalidating the feelings you have. Use gratitude as a substitute, such as gratitude, anger, and sadness.
Don’t snash away your ability to feel, learn, and grow. Don’t force yourself to feel one way about something. Daily gratitude helps you overcome all those negative emotions that you hold within yourself. Say to yourself every day that life is going well and that the next big thing in the form of a blessing is reaching for you.
You may have encountered various tips on focusing exclusively on gratitude, messages about gratitude, and developing a great sense of gratitude. But in reality, your mind deepens your capacity for gratitude with its own experiences.
Prepare a gratitude journal or gratitude list for everything you have right now. For example, the air you breathe, the water you drink, the special moments you experience, and many more. The beauty of life is to feel this way and express gratitude for everything.
Final Thoughts
Life is a great journey with a destination of death. Therefore, the challenges and unexpected events you encounter are part of life. Don’t waste your time and emotions feeling so negative and unhappy, and choose to focus on things that make you “you.”
Just try to imagine what life would be like without gratitude. Scary, huh? Therefore, show gratitude for each day and the people in your life.
Life starts becoming better when you’re grateful. Live in the moment and be joyful!
FAQs | 5 Sad Things That You Should Be Grateful for
We know that gratitude enhances happiness, but why?
Gratitude has been shown to enhance happiness because it helps people focus on the positive aspects of their lives. When people are grateful, they are more likely to notice and appreciate the good things in their lives, which leads to increased happiness. Additionally, gratitude can help people cope with difficult situations and feel more positive overall.
Does the contrast with the present make you feel grateful and pleased?
Yes, I feel grateful and pleased about how far I’ve come. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget how far you’ve come, but when I take a step back and look at how much progress I’ve made, it puts things into perspective.
Have my negative feelings about the experience limited or prevented my ability to feel gratitude since it occurred?
No, your negative feelings have not limited or prevented your ability to feel gratitude. You can still be grateful for your good moments and experiences, even if some bad ones are mixed in. It’s okay to feel both positive and negative emotions simultaneously.
How are you supposed to feel thankful when you’re just not?
Some people may find it helpful to think about what they’re grateful for, even if they don’t feel thankful. Others may need to take some time to reflect on what they’re going through and why they may not be feeling thankful. Ultimately, each person needs to find what makes them feel thankful.
How can we be grateful without invalidating our other feelings?
We can be grateful without invalidating our other feelings by acknowledging that we have other feelings and that they are valid. We can also be grateful for what we have, even if we have other feelings.
How do you practice gratitude when you feel sick, sad, and cheated on by life?
It can be difficult to feel grateful when you’re feeling sick, sad, and cheated on by life, but there are still things to be thankful for. Even when things seem bad, there are usually some silver linings. Focus on the positive things in your life, even if they seem small. Think about the people who love and support you and what makes you happy.
How will you stretch beyond your depressed mood and try to practice gratitude?
You can do a few things to stretch beyond your depressed mood and practice gratitude. First, take time each day to think of things you’re grateful for. This can be anything from the sun shining to your favorite food. Second, try and reach out to others and help them with their problems. This can make you feel good about yourself and help take your mind off your problems.
If sadness is a part of life, why do some people appear to handle it better than others?
Some people may have had more practice handling sadness, as it is a part of life. Others may have had more difficult experiences with sadness that they have not yet learned how to cope. Some people may also be more naturally resilient than others.
What are some ways in which you practice gratitude?
I try to be grateful for everything, big and small. I say thank you often and try to do something nice for someone every day. I also keep a gratitude journal, writing down three things I’m grateful for daily.
What could you feel grateful for right now?
I am grateful for my health, my family, and my friends. I am also grateful for the roof over my head and the food on my table.
Why bother practicing gratitude?
Practicing gratitude has many benefits, including improving mental and physical health, developing stronger relationships, and increasing happiness. Additionally, gratitude can help shift your perspective from negative to positive, which can be helpful in difficult times.
Sources
- Lifehack: 12 Sad Things That You Should Learn to Be Grateful For Instead
- PsychCentral: 7 Ways to Practice Gratitude When You’re Feeling Depressed
- My Therapy NYC: How to Be Grateful Without Ignoring How You Feel
- Marc and Angel: How to Be Grateful and Strong When Things Go Wrong
- Rtor: How to Practice Gratitude When You’re Depressed
- Greater Good: How Gratitude Can Help You Through Hard Times
- Design Epic Life: 30 Things To Be Thankful For When You’re Feeling Down
