Claudia's Story - Trust the process
Hi! My name is Claudia and I am 20 years old. My story with Gratitude is not something extraordinary. But I believe that even ordinary stories like mine can help others to feel accompanied in their process of self-improvement. So here I go!
2020 was a difficult year for everyone. In particular, I was totally lost. Suddenly, I could not go to study at the university and see my classmates, nor could I be with my friends.
At first, I was able to adapt with difficulty to this new reality and to support myself in the things that I liked to do, such as reading or being with my family.
However, things were not going to be that simple. Months later, I started experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. I was in a distressing state of nervousness that I couldn't control and couldn't explain to myself or my family.
Later I would understand that my body was reacting to the negativity that had filled my mind all those months. My body reacted and alarmed me through the anxiety episodes, which were becoming more frequent.
I was overwhelmed to the extreme. I didn't know what to do to feel better. Until a moment came when I decided to change something, however minor, in an attempt to get ahead.
It was then that I opened my mind to different possibilities and started looking for tools to help me. And there, in that search process, I found this wonderful application: Gratitude.
I remember talking to my mother about my discovery and she - who in her youth investigated metaphysics and the impact that our thoughts have on our lives - told me that I should try it, that the positivity raised by the app would help me fill myself with good thoughts and maybe, just maybe, to get out of my anxiety.
She told me about the Law of Attraction and a ton of other concepts that I won't develop right now, but that inspired me to start using the app and practice my gratitude.
And that's how I started using Gratitude, this application that I had found in the Play Store, and that had attracted me by its aesthetics and the premise of being able to write every day.
I love writing and it always helped me feel better. So at first, I wrote in the app about three or four times a day, thanking little things like having woken up with my loved ones or for my lunch that day, or perhaps my conversation with a friend.
I was incredibly regular with writing. I enjoyed writing about the good things of the day, and little by little, I began to fill myself with good thoughts. Naturally, an amazing positivity came to me that I couldn't explain.
Before I even knew it, the anxiety episodes subsided until almost completely disappeared. So much so that today I write and practice my affirmations every day but only once a day.
My puppy inspires me every day, because she lives in the present at all times, no matter what.
Gratitude meant a before and after in 2020, and in my life. Not only did it make me happier, but it also helped me with my self-esteem. I started to love myself a little more and to stop being so hard on myself.
It even encouraged me to do activities that I previously considered unnecessary or purposeless, such as meditation and mindfulness.
Of course, I still have bad or difficult days, but now I approach them from a new perspective, more positive, which helps me get through them a little better.
I have rediscovered myself and the good things that surround my life. It is a beautiful thing that I hope you can experience day after day. It takes a bit of effort but trust the process.
Thanks for reading and I hope you find what you are looking for!
