Can you find something neutral?

I spent time with a friend tonight who is going through a major life transition. I told her about a study I wrote about once upon a time called Three Good Things, where, as the name implies, you close your day with writing down three good things. It’s been shown to be a way to shift your brain’s focus toward the positive aspects of life.

Which js very cool. I myself am a big fan of gratitude practices.

But there are days that gratitude can be hard to summon. And because I knew she was going through it in a massive way, I remembered a mindfulness teacher who believed in using the term “appreciation” instead of gratitude. And she also always suggested that if we couldn’t find something to appreciate, we could at least find something that felt neutral.

Something, essentially, that you couldn’t find a reason to hate.

We have a choice in where we place our focus. And if you can’t see anything good, it’s probably true you can at least find something neutral.