Gratitude! Powerful Stuff!

Luaigh mé sa bhlag deireanach go raibh mé faoi strus. Níl an strus céanna orm anois ach níl sé imithe go hiomlán. Fiú inné agus lá álainn agam cois fharraige ag siúl agus ag léamh agus ansin mhothaigh mé teannas i mo ghiall. Ní sin an chéad uair gur mhothaigh mé teannas ansin ach ní i gcónaí go dtugaim faoi deara go bhfuil sé ann ach thug mé faoi deara inné. Mhothaigh mé an teannas agus bhí mé ag iarraidh tuiscint a fháil ar an bhfáth go raibh sé orm. níor éirigh liom é a thuigmháil agus mar sin glacaim leis gur strus fo-chomhfhiosach a bhí ann. An strus is measa...

I mentioned in the last blog that I was stressed. I amn’t as stressed now but it hasn’t gone completely. Even yesterday, I had a lovely day by the sea reading and walking and then suddenly I felt this tension and tightness in my jaw. This isn’t the first time my jaw has taken the brunt of my stress but I don’t always notice that ith as happened. I noticed yesterday though so I started wondering what exactly had caused it. Unconscious stress I decided, the worst kind of stress...

Tá sé ráite agam cheana go bhfuil sé deacair bogadh go háit iomlán nua. Shíl mé b’fhéidir go raibh sé níos deacra domsa os rud é nach bhfuil fíor-post agam ach ansin d’inis mo chara tí liom gur mhothaigh sé mar an gcéanna nuair a bhog sé go Gaillimh ar dtús agus bhí post aige anseo. Chuir sin ar mo shuaimhneas níos mó mé. Ar feadh tamaill….

I have said before that it is difficult to move to a completely new place. I had thought that maybe it was more difficult for me as I don’t have a real job. My housemate gave me some perspective on that though; he told me that he had struggled a lot when he first moved to Galway, despite having a job when he moved.

Nuair atá tú faoi strus nó feargach nó díreach faoi ghruaim rud a ghlacfaidh ar ais go háit níos dearfaí thú ná smaoineamh ar na rudaí maithe atá agat i do shaol. Tá an nós nádúrtha ag an gcine daonna díriú ar drochrudaí i gcónaí ach má smaoiníonn tú ar an saol go ginearálta tá mé lán cinnte go mbeidh roinnt rudaí maithe ann chomh maith. Bhí mé ag labhairt le cara liom seachtain ó shin agus bhí mé ag insint dó faoi na fadhbanna atá agam agus ansin dúirt sé ‘Conas atá rudaí sa teach?’ agus chuir sin stop liom. Tá rudaí iontach sa teach. Teach deas atá ann, i gceantar ciúin agus réitím go maith le mo chairde tí. Tá rudaí ar dóigh sa teach. Rith sé liom ansin, b’fhéidir go bhfuil rudaí maithe eile i mo shaol faoi láthair agus nuair a d’athraigh mé na spéaclaí a bhí orm go spéaclaí níos dearfaí d’athraigh chuile rud!

When you’re stressed, angry or just feeling a bit down something that can immediately change your mood is to think of good things that you have in your life. It is part of the human condition to think of the bad or negative things but if we can change our focus onto what is going well for us then it can completely change your mood. I was talking to a friend of mine a week ago and I was talking about all of the difficulties I am having at the minute. He then said ‘How are things in the house?’ and that stopped me. Things are great in the house. It’s a nice house in a quiet area, my room is great and I get on with my housemates. Things are really brilliant in the house. I then thought about all of the good things that I have in my life right now and once my glasses had been switched for a more positive pair everything changed!

Tá nós agam gach oíche trí rud atá mé buíoch dóibh a scríobh síos ach le tamall anuas bhí mé i ndiaidh dearmaid a dhéanamh ar luach an nóis seo agus chuir an cara sin é i gcuimhne dom arís. Anois, agus mé ag smaoineamh siar ar mo lá glacaim níos mó ama agus mothaím na rudaí atá mé ag smaoineamh orthu. Tugaim faoi deara na háiteanna i mo chorp atá mé in ann na rudaí deasa, na rudaí dearfaí a mhothú ionam féin agus tá sin i bhfad níos luachmhara ná díreach rudaí a scríobh síos agus dearmad a dhéanamh orthu láithreach bonn i ndiaidh.

One of my evening practices is to write down things that I am grateful for from that day. I have been doing this since I came to Galway but I had forgotten the reason tor doing it. I had forgotten that I need to really sit with my list and I really need to feel what is going on inside me when I think about all of these wonderful things. I remembered that this is where the real gold is in this exercise!