I remember being about 6 years old and crying my eyes out about who-knows-what.  My parents were fed up and I clearly remember them ordering me to “Stop crying.”  What?  How do you just “stop crying?”  Even my 6 year old self saw the lack of logic there.  Crying is not fun.  If I could have stopped it, then I would have long before they told me to.  Crying had engulfed me, and I  saw no clear way to simply turn it off.  I desperately wanted a “just stop” button that I could simply push to feel better again.stop button

Crying isn’t much of an adult problem, but there are plenty of other “adult afflictions” that call for a “just stop” button, such as worry, negative thinking, self-doubt and anger.

Last week I found myself desperately needing the “just stop” button.  An acquaintance had vocally supported some inflammatory mis-information that’s been spread on the internet.  I found myself caught up (engulfed) in anger and frustration at how easily people latch on to mis-information and then happily sling it about.  (And no, this didn’t have to do with the upcoming election.)

Anyway, I was driven to distraction by this.  I kept telling myself to “just stop,” but it wasn’t working.  So I dug deep and pulled out a secret weapon: gratitude.

I spent 30 minutes journaling on how and why I could be grateful for this person and the things he said.  It was not easy.  But it made all the difference!  Still irritated?  Yes.  Driven to the point of distraction?  No.  Spending the time in a place of gratitude has allowed me to move on.  Thankfully.

That’s why I recommend the Art of Gratitude course–it helps you harness that secret tool and use it when you need to “just stop” a negative force in your life.  In the course, you learn how to find gratitude in the things that cause you worry, doubt and stress.

If you had a “just stop” button, what would you use it for?