By Amanda Lupis, The Become Her Now Method
Gratitude really does begin with the thoughts we choose on purpose. It’s not always easy, especially when perimenopause has us feeling like we’re living inside someone else’s body - but it’s still there, waiting for us.
And let’s be honest: nobody is grateful all the time. That’s unrealistic. But we can choose it in small, intentional moments.
When I was in the throes of insomnia, hot flashes, and haemorrhaging bleeding - while
working, raising three daughters, and potty-training my English Bulldog, I still began
every morning by writing down three to five things I was grateful for.
Not because life was calm or peaceful, but because my brain needed the reminder. I keep a dedicated thought-dump journal where I pour out the good, the bad, and the truly unfiltered so it doesn’t live in my mind all day. One daily practice I’ve stayed consistent with for years is reminding my brain why I’m grateful.
And then I ground myself in gratitude with simple, honest truths:
After I write these statements, I read them slowly - one at a time. I close my eyes and let
each one move through my body, not perfectly, just honestly. Something always softens when I do that. My shoulders drop. My breath slows. My mind remembers what’s true. And before I get up, I take one final minute to see the woman I’m becoming. The version of me who is calm, capable, rested, and steady. She’s already there. I meet her more and more through the thoughts I choose and the way I show up for myself each day.
When I was at my worst, dancing around my house singing about how grateful I was that I was bleeding through my jeans every hour would’ve been ridiculous and honestly would’ve made me even more resentful. But honest, grounded statements worked. Our brain believes what feels real, not what feels forced. It’s like a computer - what we feed it becomes what it looks for.
If we choose a helpful thought, our brain starts collecting tiny pieces of evidence that things are okay. If we complain nonstop, it becomes an Olympic-level scavenger hunt for everything that’s wrong.
Now that I’m on the other side of the worst of it, I wouldn’t trade my experience. It forced
wisdom into me in a way nothing else could.
So, ask yourself: What am I learning? Who can I help? How can I be grateful for where I’m standing right now, even if it’s not cute or comfortable? How can I appreciate that I’m getting to know my body on a whole new level - and building a relationship with myself in the process?
There are a million reasons to be grateful. Our brain forgets. That’s fine. It’s literally designed that way. Our job is to remind it. And some days, gratitude is as simple as saying, “I am grateful that I have clean water and a moment of peace.” One deliberate thought really is enough to change the vibration in your body.
I’m grateful to be part of Aviiana, and I can’t wait to drop into your inbox each month with
something real and supportive.
