By Sydney Hicks, 2/14/2021.

Hi! I’m Sydney Hicks and I am an intern for Art Spark Texas. I am a senior at St. Edward’s University here in Austin. I have always had an interest in how the mind works and about what makes people do the things that they do. Because of this curiosity of mine, I am majoring in Psychology. I am also especially excited to be helping out Art Spark Texas Artworks Director April Sullivan with the Veterans Program! I am going to be researching how creativity affects the mind and body. Interning at Art Spark Texas is a great way for me to apply what I have learned throughout the years. I love being able to be a part of this friendly community.

As cheesy as it sounds, life really is like a roller coaster

I spend most of my time looking for some stability in my life. I go through different phases of self-improvement almost constantly. One month I could be trying to reframe my thinking, then the next month I am focused on making my body healthier by exercise. When thinking about this in hindsight, I sound kind of obsessed. Maybe I am kind of obsessed. I am obsessed with becoming a better version of myself. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I just have to shed some light on the little things in life.

The point of this blog post is to give myself (and hopefully you) a different perspective on how you are treating yourself. Come on! I think we really do deserve some recognition. Sure, I could pick out some little things that I could have done better, but for now I am focusing on the things that I am doing great. I did some chores and made myself food that made my body happy today. I took some time to reply to those emails that seem so very daunting, and I also bought myself my favorite sweet snack. It really is the little things that I do for myself throughout the day that truly matters.

Gratitude really is an amazing thing, but why can’t it be easier to practice?

It’s true; Practice does make perfect. It is as simple as that, but it isn’t really that simple, right? Thinking about the things that you are grateful for could be hard to remember. There are so many instances in the average day where someone could be grateful, but actually remembering to think about that gratefulness slips one’s mind. Maybe you could try to make a habit of listing a few things that you are grateful for each night as you hop into bed. Maybe you could cut yourself some slack and simply think about your gratitude when you remember to do so.

Trying to set guidelines for your gratitude practice could end up making it feel like a chore. Cut yourself some slack and reap the benefits of being grateful when you can. Eventually your mind will pick up on this habit. Recognizing what you are grateful for is amazing because it is proactive. It is proactive because you can begin to recognize what exactly makes you grateful while being in the moment. The interesting thing is……You can even be grateful for negative experiences. You must practice seeing the light in every situation. With practice and repetition over time, your mind will be in tune with seeing the bright side in everything.

Okay, that’s my wisdom. This blog post is manifesting more gratitude into my daily life. I hope whoever is reading this found some inspiration as well.

About Sydney: I am a small-town girl who is excited to learn more about the world. I will be graduating with a psychology degree in May 2021, and I aspire to be a therapist in the future. Until the future comes, I want to do all that I can to bring more awareness to mental health.