Even when we understand that gratitude is beneficial for our well-being, feeling grateful constantly throughout the day is not easy, given how demanding and disorienting life can be.

Nonetheless, when we are about to rest at the end of the day, we can take time out to contemplate the things that we are grateful for. If we do not cultivate contentment, as the Bhagavad-gita (17.16) recommends, we may be troubled by a sense of restlessness or even resentfulness about the many things that did not seem to go right during the day. And that troubling feeling will rob us of a good night’s sleep. Without proper rest, when we wake up, we will be irritable and may end up making bad things worse.

To prevent such an eventuality, we can consciously cultivate gratitude before we rest. Indeed, we can compare the attitude of gratitude to a mental pillow that we carefully gather close to us before we rest.

Let’s see how the pillow of gratitude can relax and rejuvenate us, especially when it is enriched with a mood of devotion. Devotional gratitude can reassure us that God is still in control and that, despite whatever negative events may have happened during the day, he still saw us through. Reviewing the day prayerfully, we can note how he arranged for some good things to be done for us and he empowered us to do some good things. By reminding ourselves that the same God who took care of our concerns during the day will also take care of them while we rest at night, we can sleep peacefully. And when we wake up, we will rise purposefully knowing that the same God will guide us during the upcoming day to do good things and to bring good out of whatever things come our way. Thus, the pillow of gratitude can improve the quality of our entire life.

Think it over:

  • What happens if we don’t cultivate gratitude at the end of a day?
  • How can gathering the pillow of gratitude improve the quality of our life?
  • For three days, consciously endeavor to gather the pillow of gratitude before you rest. Note how it transforms the quality of your sleep and of your wakeful state.

Audio explanation of the article is here: https://gitadaily.substack.com/p/the-pillow-of-gratitude

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17.16: And satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self-control and purification of one’s existence are the austerities of the mind.

The pillow of gratitude

To know more about this verse, please click on the image