I talk a lot about gratitude. So much so that people have started giving me gifts related to it. (Which is awesome, by the way.)

But, why?

Gratitude can sometimes feel like a trendy word or hashtag to throw around. Similar to the #blessed of a few years ago, it can seem like a humble brag or an empty phrase to post on social media.

It is SO. MUCH. MORE. than that.

Gratitude is THE biggest mind shift tool in my toolbox.

Not just during my fertility struggle, but every day since.

Practicing gratitude has proven benefits of stress relief and has shown to create more joy, happiness, resilience, and self-esteem.

I’ve seen it first-hand. During our fertility struggle, seeking things to be grateful for helped me shift from the ugly “why me?” mindset to thankfulness I had the opportunity to receive treatment and to physically experience improvements from diet and lifestyle changes (that still serve me today). In the early days of parenting when the nights got long and sleep was short, I found gratitude in my baby’s actual presence, in his (loud) healthy cries, and when sleep would finally come to him. As our family has grown and our house resembles a circus, my husband and I snap back to what’s important with the phrase, “We worked hard for this,” said with gratitude.

So the next time you find yourself in a rut, stuck in the fear and uncertainty of a fertility struggle - try gratitude.

To really get the most of the perspective, aim to write down a few things you’re grateful for every day. Go ahead and poke the bear…challenge yourself to seek something to be grateful for in your current circumstances. Think about the people you’re surrounded by or have met, your environment, your workplace, your body, and similar aspects of your journey that may provide a lesson learned, a source of support, a continued working or show of resilience that you are grateful for. Allow yourself to explore these paths.

Can’t find something to be grateful for? Then seek out a lesson learned, an example of courage, something you’ve overcome that surprised you…and then write down what about that you are grateful for.

Sound good? Try it and let me know how it works for you. Struggling? Let me help.

And in the spirit of gratitude, thanks for reading.