63: Gratitude in the Hard Seasons, Part 1 with Christine Koh

As Thanksgiving is just around the corner, gratitude is an important topic. It is important to offer a more nuanced perspective, because gratitude can be complicated and can look very different for different people. Gratitude goes beyond the simple phrase, “Just be grateful.” In today’s Part 1 of two episodes, we want to give people a brave place to let their true feelings be what they are, regardless of others’ expectations. How do we practice gratitude in a way that isn’t toxic positivity but still validates our feelings and raises our quality of life? My friend, Christine Koh, is here to contribute to the discussion. She is a speaker, creative consultant, author of Minimalist Parenting, and the podcast co-host of Edit Your Life. Join us!   Show Highlights:  ●      How we define gratitude–it doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone! ●      How gratitude can be an embracing the joy that is random in life–just as suffering is ●      How we define toxic positivity–and how it relates to motherhood ●      Why we, as a society, aren’t very good at sitting with uncomfortable emotions and pain ●      How Christine’s background and Asian heritage inform her view of toxic positivity ●      How spiritual bypassing relates to toxic positivity in not allowing feelings to be processed and explored ●      Why Christine is a fan of cognitive reframing–and how she uses this practical exercise to “flip the script” ●      Why we have to give voice to our suffering to process the feelings and move toward growth ●      How gratitude is an emotional muscle that we have to flex in our own ways ●      Christine’s advice to parents about teaching gratitude while not pushing toxic positivity on our kids ●      Why it is important for parents to model a wide range of emotions in front of our kids   Resources and Links: Connect with Christine Koh: Website, Podcast, and Minimalist Parenting book Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices