Maybe Gratitude will keep us from losing our minds?

What if we arm ourselves with gratitude and acceptance during the chaos and fear of this election season? The Kingdom of Heaven is all around us.

This was not the post I intended to write next- but this was the post that wanted to be written, so I’m writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not and will not directly talk about politics or politicians in my newsletters or notes. No judgment on those who do. It’s just not what I’m passionate about or called to. But I am passionate about heart health. And the election this year sure reveals the state of our hearts, doesn’t it?

This morning the Lord tenderly turned my mind to a recent sweet memory I had with my parents. We have had some painful, intense family drama spring up out of nowhere this past year, and it’s caused a lot of heartache and division. I felt like Jesus was gently saying, “Even in the midst of your pain- I will provide moments of joy, connection and healing.” He was directing me to focus on the sweet moments I can be grateful for, so that I don’t become swallowed up by the pain.

Hear me out: this is not a “You just need to be more thankful and your life will get better” post. I hate toxic positivity. I hate when people tell me to rejoice when my heart is in the “depths of despair”, as Anne of Green Gables puts it. I strongly dislike the cliché Christian saying, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good”. I believe God is good all the time, but in my experience, that phrase has been used as a “Bible bandaid” to spiritually bypass what’s actually going on in our hearts. So I just want to be clear, that is not what my message is here.

We are in the midst of one of the most chaotic and divisive election seasons in the history of our nation. The grief and fear will be very real on one side or the other- regardless of who wins the election. I understand that from a human perspective, there is no win-win outcome. I’m not advocating for burying those emotions by any means. I’m validating the fact that November (and the indefinite future) will likely be difficult and scary for so many people. I’m not here to belittle or minimize any of the hard feelings and realities we are experiencing this year. I’m encouraging us all, including myself, to consider that there is a reigning Goodness that no president can dethrone. The ultimate reality is this: Jesus wins in the end. If you’re on his side, then you can’t lose. Yes, life will be hard and politicians will be ugly. But Jesus has never been about fixing temporal kingdoms anyway. I mean, look at the Gospels. Jesus was constantly trying to get people to see that the Kingdom of Heaven has nothing to do with the current rulers and political figures. The Kingdom of Heaven is subtly subversive. It’s gentle and fierce. It’s not about dethroning kings; it’s about dethroning selfishness and pride. The Kingdom of Heaven unfolds in hearts, minds and relationships. Not earthly governments. (Although God does move in government- it just doesn’t look like what we think. After all, the government is made up of humans who also have hearts and minds.) The Kingdom of Heaven is here and is coming, whether anyone likes it or not.

So what if we turned our attention to the goodness and love around us in the middle of the storm our nation is facing? What if we focused on the Kingdom of Heaven showing up in the kindness we receive from a neighbor or friend? Or the bright Fall colors against the backdrop of a crisp blue sky? Or the fresh, delicious apple cider we pick up from the orchard? Or the sweet, soft cuddles from our pets? Or the tiny, new, and miraculous human lives that are about to be born in our families?

Yes, there is a lot of chaos and fear and grief and heartache in our world currently, and yet there is so much goodness, kindness, delight, and so many reasons to be grateful. We can hold the two realities in tension. We can be grateful without minimizing the fact that this is really really hard.

A study was done that proved that intentionally focusing on or talking about gratitude, as well as performing acts of gratitude are directly linked with lower depression and anxiety, and overall greater well-being.¹ Andrew Huberman, in his podcast “The Science of Gratitude”, teaches that the most recent neuroscience shows that practice of gratitude as “story” is even more beneficial than simply being thankful. Purposely remembering and frequently dwelling on a story in your life where you received gratitude or deeply felt gratitude is a powerful way to rewire the brain.² The same article by Noomii states that your brain cannot physically respond to both anxiety and gratitude at the same time. It’s impossible. There are totally different chemicals released in the brain in response to gratitude versus the chemicals released when we ruminate on our anxieties. This article states that “Keeping a gratitude journal causes less stress, improves the quality of sleep, and builds emotional awareness.”³ Gratitude has also been shown to reduce physical pain, and release toxic emotions like trauma and fear.⁴

Maybe the Bible was actually on to something when it tells us to constantly “give thanks”? Maybe it wasn’t God telling us to just shut up and be thankful. Maybe God wasn’t trying to silence the cries of our hearts or minimize our pain. Maybe He’s not the one who needs our thanks. Could it be that He actually knew how He created us and knew what our physical brains needed to be well? Just maybe.

Gratitude is also connected to acceptance. When you’re grateful, it’s so much easier to accept your current life season and story. I propose that by radically turning our attention to what we’re grateful for over the next couple of weeks, it will help us move into acceptance, even if our opposed candidate becomes the next president. (Note: acceptance doesn’t mean you have to be happy about it.)

I always think it’s ironic that elections come just before the Thanksgiving holiday. So what if we got a jump on Thanksgiving this year? What if we went into the election and the months thereafter with radical gratitude and acceptance? What if it could actually change how we perceive our reality? What if it could actually change the way we physically feel?

So, what are you thankful for in life right now? I would love to read your lists in the comments!

I’ll start. Right now I’m super grateful for:

• Connecting with some new friends that understand and don’t judge me for the spiritual and mental space I’m in.

• New medication that is helping my brain chemicals balance out so I can function like I was created to!

• Cuddles and playtime with my golden retriever puppy.

• These last sunny warm Fall days.

• Fun times with family visiting from out of town.

• The ability to drive myself to a job that is 5 minutes away from my house and take my dog to work with me.

Friends and readers, for the sake of your mental health, please pull your family close this Fall. Please enjoy the organic sweet moments that you find yourself in (and maybe create some of your own). And let’s arm ourselves daily with gratitude and acceptance, remembering that the Kingdom of Heaven is already here, and there is more than enough joy available to each of us right in this very moment.

Yours gratefully,

Alexandria

P.S. If you need some inspiration to start your gratitude list, here’s a cute video of my puppy, who I am always deeply grateful for.

If you feel so inclined, I would deeply appreciate anything you feel led to give in support of my writing!

If this spoke to you, will you share with a few friends who could use the encouragement too?

1. Diniz G, Korkes L, Tristão LS, Pelegrini R, Bellodi PL, Bernardo WM. The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2023 Aug 11;21:eRW0371. doi: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2023RW0371. PMID: 37585888; PMCID: PMC10393216.

2. https://www.noomii.com/articles/13710-gratitude-and-anxiety-cannot-coexist

3

Ba, M. R. C. (2024, September 19). The neuroscience of gratitude and effects on the brain. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/#:~:text=Recent%20studies%20into%20gratitude%20and%20anxiety&text=One%20of%20the%20three%20groups,%2C%20social%20phobia%2C%20and%20nihilism.

4

Ba, M. R. C. (2024, September 19). The neuroscience of gratitude and effects on the brain. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/#:~:text=Recent%20studies%20into%20gratitude%20and%20anxiety&text=One%20of%20the%20three%20groups,%2C%20social%20phobia%2C%20and%20nihilism.