How Gratitude Can Crush Fear and Radically Transform You Into a Happier Person

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Sometimes situations are scary. I don’t mean the, boo, ghost-scary. I mean the more difficult fear. Fear of pain. Fear of uncertainty. Fear of failure. Fear of being sad. The bottom line of a lot of our problems are fear. The fear of not being successful in your career; the fear of not making enough money; the fear of missing out; the fear of not having friends; the fear of being socially awkward; the fear of failing at a business; the fear of being judged; the fear of not having a good weekend; the fear of not making others happy; the fear of not being pretty enough… the list goes on. 

So how can you overcome fear in your life? 

How can you be happier, today? right now? Does it feel too difficult? Does it feel almost impossible? 

I promise it isn’t. 

And I will tell you how.

This is the key: Gratitude and fear can not exist at the same time. 

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You Always Have a Choice

Even if the worst thing that happens to you, you have a choice. And no, I am NOT simplifying this. I, of all people, know how hard it is. Depression is real. Your brain plays tricks on you. It is not easy. I know that. 

Telling your brain to be positive sometimes feels like telling someone who is physically disabled to get up and learn how to run. It feels impossible. 

But, that’s where I got you. It ‘feels’ impossible, but it isn’t. 

See the beauty of life is that almost anything is possible. You have a choice. Even if you are disabled, you can technically learn how to run. Inspiring disabled people have run marathons. 

Controversial Side Note: I personally feel mentally disabled people are at a slight disadvantage here because physically disabled people have more support and encouragement and empathy as opposed to people with mental health issues. By that I mean sad, depressed, etc. Because our disability isn’t visible, it is often ignored. 

So, everyone suffering from mental health issues, I hear you. I am not ignoring it. And I know it is hard to choose positivity. But know that it is possible. 

The Game of Fear Vs Gratitude

Now back to fear. You have a choice. I have a choice. And being grateful gives us that choice. Instead of frantically trying to avoid fear, just think of something you are grateful for. It is harder to try to eradicate fear from our thinking than to adopt gratitude. It is a game of light and darkness. The more light you have, the less dark it will automatically be. 

How to Be Grateful in Terrible Situations

“Oh yeah, that’s fabulous. So you want me to just pretend everything is okay and sit and try to be happy? Bulls***.”

Yeah I know it is hard. So I am going to equip you with a bunch of examples of how to be grateful in seemingly terrible situations. 

Let’s say you lost your job.

Be grateful you got one in the first place. Be grateful that it was good enough that you are upset. Be grateful for whatever you learned there (even if it isn’t a lot). Be grateful that you got selected in the first place, and that you can get another job. Be thankful for the money you made while you were in that job. Be thankful for everything you bought with that money. 

Now see, you would have stopped focusing on the fear of not having a job in the future. 

“Okay, now what if I broke my leg, and I have no job, and I just went through a break up? Everything sucks. What now? You want me to be grateful?”

Yes. If you want to get past this sucky situation then you’re gonna have to suck it up. Be grateful. Break it down to make this easier. 

• You broke your leg, that means you have a leg. Be thankful for it. Be thankful that you were able to run, walk, play sports, stand, pee without someone’s help, and take a shower on your own. Be thankful you could walk wherever you wanted. 
• You had a job. Be grateful for that. Be grateful for what you learned, the skills you developed, the connections you made, the money you earned.
• And if you went through a break up, REJOICE. The fact that you found someone, even if it was a limited time, is amazing! And if you are upset about the break up, it is even better! That means they made a positive impact on your life! Now imagine if that positive impact was never there. See, aren’t you grateful that person came into your life? Even if they have maybe now left. Cherish the memories, be grateful for how you grew as a person, and smile. 

Now whatever your situation is, don’t focus on the fear. Focus on the good. Be grateful. (Even for Covid-19).

What is the point of all this gratitude? 

Now a real negative party pooper might say, “F*** off, I wanna mope and be sad and be fearful. What is the point of all this gratitude?” 

That is a valid question. Why am I harping so much on gratitude? It is going to help you get through this bad patch, faster. Moping gets old very quickly and sooner or later you will want to get over it and be happy. By inculcating an attitude of gratitude, you will feel happy quicker. And, by avoiding fear and being grateful, you might attract even better things that you could never dream of. You will attract so much better into your life! But that is only if you are grateful.

What Happens If You Aren’t Grateful

Think of Murphy’s Law

Fear, on the other hand, will only make you go downhill. Mentally, you will slip down a spiral of blahness. And even in life, bad doesn’t beget good. If you are so focused on how sad your life is, how you lost your job, how your leg is broken, you won’t be able to attract anything good. It is a bit like Murphy’s Law: the bad will just bring more bad. And focusing on the bad will make you focus on other bad, too, and soon, you won’t be able to find anything good in your life and it will be a dark, dark place. 

Instead, practice gratitude.

(Because the law also basically says that things are expected to go badly, it is more of a reason to appreciate every good thing).

You Are like a Ball

Imagine you are a ball. You are thrown down. Now, you can stick to the ground, the bad stuff, like velcro. And then you will stay there, and catch dust, and it won’t be possible for you to rise up again unless there is some major outside force and someone picks you up and throws you again. But, you can hit the ground, go low, and use that to bounce up even higher than before. So, it is your choice. 

Conclusion

The best way to overcome fear and depression is through practicing gratitude. Changing your perspective changes your experience and can almost instantly take you from sad to happy, worried to excited, and anxious to calm.

Anyways, there is a lot more to gratitude, fear, and how these two attitudes attract other things in life. But more on that in another article 🙂 

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Will you be practicing gratitude? Tell me below!