The Daily G.I.F.T. from The GratiDude

I never thought about writing a blog 500 days in a row, but I am trusting my process and here I am. Much like how I ended up in San Salvador in 1992.

www.grateful4.org

Gratitude

Intention

First

Things

The G.I.F.T. Today

Grateful-for being grateful when shit is really hard. That is the sauce, right there.

Intention-curiosity, growth, health, breath, all of THAT frequency

First-Invite Rob to zoom

Things-about KC section new site

Morning Platitude from The GratiDude

The cool thing about embracing faith is that with that you let go of control and you embrace mystery.

Mystery of everything- how everything became to be, what happens to us when we’re done here, what it all means- all of it is a mystery that we will never solve.

It’s still something that we do to wonder and opine about, however, at the end of the day, we never really know any final answers.

Yes, research suggests that faith and religious practices can play a significant role in alleviating anxiety and promoting overall well-being. Studies have shown that religious engagement, including prayer, faith-based interventions, and community involvement, can reduce anxiety and improve mental health outcomes, especially in individuals facing challenges like stress, depression, and other mental health conditions.

Here’s a more detailed look at the potential benefits:

Anxiety Reduction:

Religious practices like prayer and meditation have been linked to reduced stress, anxiety, and depression.

Improved Mental Health:

Studies have shown that individuals who are more religiously engaged tend to experience fewer symptoms of depression and may recover more quickly from depressive disorders.

Sense of Purpose and Hope:

Faith can provide a sense of purpose, hope, and meaning in life, which can be particularly helpful for those struggling with mental health challenges.

Social Support:

Religious communities can offer social support, which is crucial for those dealing with mental illness, helping to prevent loneliness and isolation.

Coping Mechanisms:

Faith-based practices can provide effective coping mechanisms for dealing with stress, anxiety, and other mental health symptoms.

Physical Health Benefits:

Research also suggests that religious practices can positively impact physical health, potentially leading to a stronger immune system and faster recovery from illness.

It’s important to note that the effects of faith on mental health can vary depending on individual beliefs and experiences. While some individuals find comfort and support in their faith, others may experience negative impacts, such as feelings of guilt or shame. Ultimately, whether faith can help alleviate anxiety and improve health is a deeply personal question.

It is just like that when you’re starting a business or doing a new project, you know where you want to end up you can see some of the results but the path that you end up taking is always circuitous at best. Every day there are new dynamics and new energies all mixing about and you take the information that you have available to you and you make the very best decision that you can using all your information, logic and intuition and guidance from the spirits if necessary.

Setting yourself up for success in terms of being the best version of yourself staying healthy having an abundant mindset all these things allow you to go with the flow in the direction of where you want to end up relative to your biggest goals, dreams, and ambitions. Even if there are numerous detours and delays, you know where you’re going you just don’t know exactly how you’re going to get there.

This is a bit like when my brother and I decided we were going to meet in Mexico City in 1992 and then from there make our way down to El Salvador because the civil war just ended six months earlier(a civil war funded by our United States tax dollars hard at work, stemming the tide of communism in central America…..so we could be safe from Russia…I guess…who is now our friend I’m so confused. “Hello, George Orwell please…”).

We knew we were going to make it down there. We just didn’t know it would involve every mode of transportation you can imagine; a bus breaking down, hitchhiking, trains, and even having soldiers with M-16’s stop traffic and order civilians to give us a ride to San Salvador, our destination.

You cannot make this shit up.

For me, I go back to my own history for examples like this, as silly, as it may seem, as reminders of the fact that I don’t know how I’m going to get where I’m going, but I sure as hell no I’m going to get there and the sharper my focus on my destination the more sure and sooner my arrival will be.