Say YES! to Heartfelt Gratitude

By Jill Hollander, Guest Blogger and Heart Ambassador, American Heart Association

My personal experiences have shown me that gratitude is like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. In challenging times, it will help you to shift perspective and see what is working, how you are being supported, and it can help you to see the beauty within and beyond the heartache. I was born with a congenital heart defect, have had two open heart surgeries, and a heart transplant. My life has shown me that we get to choose how we respond to every situation, even the challenging ones. We can choose to be bitter, or we can choose to do everything in our power to think and act in a way that will help us feel better, to persevere, and rise up to our challenges!  Saying YES! to focusing on what you are grateful for is an approach that can help you to feel more resourced to respond to your life experiences, especially the challenging ones feeling empowered and inspired. 

As a motivational speaker and resiliency coach, I share with audiences that gratitude helps us to be resilient because by looking for what you are grateful for enables us to

  • Reframe our perspective and perception of our experiences. 
  • Shift negative feeling thoughts to ones that are more optimistic.
  • Be in the present moment.
  • Create a feeling of peace and ease within. 
  • Reduce our stress and tension in both our mind and body.

Looking for and finding what we are grateful for can help us to continue onward with a more open heart. 

Also, focusing on gratitude puts you in a position to be more inclined to shift your perspective from focusing on yourself to focusing on others. One way to feel gratitude and appreciation is by giving to others.

Giving Tuesday is Tuesday, November 30th. I invite anyone who is in a position to- to give on this Tuesday to those who need it most. Your generosity contributes to keeping millions of hearts beating and provides the opportunity for people and families to have more moments to live, laugh, and love. Additionally, your generosity will spread the feeling of appreciation to others, as they will experience heartfelt gratitude for you and your generosity.

When you donate today, you get to be EXTRA GENEROUS because your gift will go TWICE as far to help save lives from heart attack and strokes.  Click here to donate.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within these guest posts are those of the author alone and do not represent those of The American Heart Association | American Stroke Association. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them.

The American Heart Association’s blog is not intended to provide medical advice or treatment. Only your healthcare provider can provide that. The American Heart Association recommends that you consult your healthcare provider regarding your personal health matters. If you think you are having a heart attack, stroke or another emergency, please call 911 immediately.