07 Jul Finding Joy And Gratitude Even During The Toughest Times
via Forbes by Rob Dube
For many, pre-COVID life was pretty stressful. Now, with a global pandemic, uncertainty for the future, and worldwide protests, our stress levels are approaching new levels.
I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Elizabeth Boham—a true visionary behind finding positivity and gratitude during both good times and bad. As a physician specializing in functional medicine and medical director of the UltraWellness Center, Elizabeth is filled with practical tips for proactively preparing for life’s inevitable challenges.
Always Something to Be Grateful For
Today, Elizabeth appears to be a naturally positive person. However, she’ll be the first to admit that getting to this place took real work. A cancer diagnosis over twenty years ago led her to reevaluate her life and shift her perspective to one of gratitude.
At age 30, Elizabeth was in her second year of residency as a physician when she began learning how to do breast exams on patients. “I was practicing on myself…and then all of a sudden I had found this lump,” Elizabeth remembers.
With no family history of breast cancer, she wasn’t immediately worried. But with the encouragement of her husband, Elizabeth decided to get it checked out anyway. She soon discovered it to be an aggressive form of breast cancer. Thankfully, it was caught early, but she still endured multiple rounds of treatment.
It was during her fight against cancer that she started uncovering the benefits of gratitude—and much of that shift can be credited to Oprah.
While in treatment, the Oprah Winfrey Show was a regular watch for Elizabeth. “She did a whole show on gratitude and how it helps with anxiety, stress, depression, and fear,” Elizabeth recalls. One of Oprah’s favorite ways to find more joy was by writing in a gratitude journal every day.
With Elizabeth already trying other methods to keep her health up both mentally and physically, she decided to take Oprah’s advice and practice living with more gratitude.
Turn Negativity Into Joy
Although Oprah’s advice resonated with Elizabeth, actually sitting down to write about things she was thankful for while fighting cancer wasn’t easy. “When I started doing it, I had a hard time. I was 30. I was angry about this diagnosis. I was really angry that I was sick.”
… keep reading the full & original article HERE
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