How Instagram Helped Me Practice Gratitude

self care, self love, , , , , , , , 45 Comments

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

-Melody beattie

Wait, what? I know what you are thinking- Instagram feeds my negativity monster. How did it help you focus on the positives? Well, the other day, I had the oddest moment. And it wasn’t odd in the sense of its nature, it was only odd because I did not expect to experience the emotions I did in that moment.

I was creating a reel on Instagram (because you know, content) and decided it was going to be a reel consisting of some of my happiest moments with a motivational audio attached to it. Instagram reels only allows up to a minute of clips and while I was trying to add clips to the reel, I found myself frustrated because I couldn’t fit all the clips I wanted to in a minute’s worth of content. Something came over me and I began to cry. And no, not because of my frustration. I was frustrated but not THAT frustrated. In that moment, I realized how blessed I was because I had too many happy moments.

Photo by Jodie Cook on Unsplash

I began to gather my thoughts and type my caption while processing my emotions. Within the caption, I wrote:

I literally teared up while making this…

I wanted to make a reel of some of my happiest moments and realized I have way too many to fit in one minute. I started crying because I realized in this moment that I take my life for granted at times. It’s easy to overlook our blessings when we are stuck in our everyday routine. But wow, I AM BLESSED.

Young Ang could never. I never anticipated experiencing all the wonderful things I have experienced. I prayed for this. I worked for this. ABUNDANCE IS MY BIRTHRIGHT and I plan to pass that down to my daughter.

I challenge you all to do the same. What are some of the things in your life that you are grateful for? Just take a moment and really analyze it. You might just surprise yourself.

Shoutout to the people who contribute to my blessings every day. I love you all.

I posted the reel but ended up taking it down because it had low engagement (don’t even get me started on IG algorithm and my frustration with it). But besides my failed attempt to create a viral reel (sigh, I’ll try again tomorrow), I am grateful for the moment of creating the reel because it forced me to seek out the happiest moments of my life. It forced me to reminisce and then reflect. It truly shifted my perspective! Because, I am human, and I struggle to be positive. I tend to be pessimistic. I am a work in progress and have not quite mastered the art of optimism. Because if I am being transparent, I was having a horrible day. My daughter was not feeling well and was screaming and crying her head off. Let’s not forget the spontaneous, projectile vomit she graced me with. Or the fact that I was drowning in work emails and my work phone was blowing up, but I couldn’t tend to those because caring for my daughter was my top priority. Cue major anxiety. The day was trash. Literally, throw the whole day away! But I forgot about all of that once I focused on how good my life is. Chaotic but very good, nonetheless. Ah, the power of gratitude.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

I am grateful for this life because it is a gift. I am grateful for the opportunity to create and mold each passing moment into the life design I desire and deserve. I am grateful for the difficult experiences because it enhances my appreciation for the wonderful experiences. I am grateful for my family. My husband, daughter, and friends. I am grateful for my health. For my compassion and empathy. I could go on and on. Overall, the blessings outweigh the lessons.

So now, I challenge you, my lovely readers. What are you grateful for in your life? Have you ever experienced a moment of gratitude that it brought tears to your eyes? I would love to hear from you all! Sending my love ❤

If you are on Instagram, feel free to connect with me and drop your username in the comments so I know it’s you 😊

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Posted by

Like a lotus flower, I emerge from dark, murky waters to reveal my beauty. Feeling and healing on this journey of life; glowing and flowing. I have always loved writing, but it has taken me 29 trips around the sun before I had to confidence to share publicly. I hope my writing, which is near and dear to my heart, sparks light and love in all of you. Make yourself at home and enjoy the ride!

45 thoughts on “How Instagram Helped Me Practice Gratitude”

    1. It’s such a pain and it is always changing! Completely empathize with you. But experiencing this moment was a nice change from my usual frustrations lol thank you so much for reading and commenting!

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  3. Good to find a positive spin for IG, so much of it is about fuelling unrealistic expectations (filters, cosmetic procedures) and envy. You’re quite right they we should count our blessings more.

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    1. Completely agree. Scroll long enough on Instagram and it can have you feeling pretty bad about yourself at times, as if you should be doing more or look more put together. I’m grateful for experiencing that positive moment. We should absolutely take the time to count our blessings more!

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  4. When I saw the title of your post, Angie, I had no idea where you were going to go with it. Instagram is on my ‘to do’ list, but in my wildest imagination, I couldn’t foresee a way in which it would make me feel grateful. I love that you had too much to include! What a blessing!! You keyed in on a word that is big in my life and our house right now, “perspective.” It really is all about how we perceive things. Life is full of challenges and setbacks, but there are always opportunities for growth and lessons learned. I have a hard time keeping that in mind, but as it’s something I am trying to share with my daughter, it’s always front of mind. Embrace those blessings and more will come.

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    1. I was hoping for this reaction when I created the title for this blog lol. Perspective is everything! I have really been mindful this year of how I direct my energy and what I wish to place my focus on. It has really helped me find the silver lining in all situations.

      Couldn’t agree more- placing the focus on your blessings open the gateway for more blessings to flow in. Thank you for reading and commenting!

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  5. When I moved into my apartment I was standing on the balcony looking out and realized how blessed we are/I am. I cried because everything I prayed for in the past, I have now. Never in a million years did I think I would be moving out of Florida, never did I thought I would be living in the city or even have my kids move out this way and leave everything behind. I am grateful for life itself, and the health of me and my family. God is great all the time!. I love you Ang 😘

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    1. You have come such a long way and I am humbled to witness the change before my own eyes as well! You earned this love. You beyond deserve it and it makes me happy knowing that you are happy. Love you, Yosh!

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  6. The subject of reel was actually what helped you seek and remember all the happy moments. We have ig to curse for traction. Parenting is a challenging job. But a very optimistic post… a lesson and light.
    Isa A. Blogger

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  7. We all take for granted the small things in life that actually make it even more special. Practicing gratitude is personally for me one of the healthiest things to do for your mind and I’m so glad that you shared your unique experience and I only hope the best for you and your family x

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    1. Absolutely! I have made it a point to practice gratitude more and this moment showed me that I am building the habit of it, which is really nice. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

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    1. I love this perspective! People often talk about how Instagram can be so toxic, which in some sense, yes- because depending on who you follow, it may create a sense of insecurity about your own life. But if you follow inspirational accounts, you are feeding the positive emotions within yourself. Thank you for reading and commenting!

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  10. What a lovely thing to come out of your insta reel. Although you didn’t get the engagement you desired, you still realised that the life you have is a good one. That’s awesome! I have to admit, I love Instagram, as I only follow accounts that fill my heart with joy, so when I do hop onto the app, all I see is positive and happy things, which puts me in a good mood. Lovely post! Thanks for sharing

    Lindsay | The Travel Vine

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    2. What a lovely moment to experience whilst making your reel. It’s true, we can get lost in all the negativity when it comes to Instagram but I actually find it to be quite a positive place at times. I’m incredibly grateful to have met such beautiful, inspiring people through Instagram, it’s brought me some great friendships and that’s something I’ll forever thank the app for. Thank you for sharing this lovely, it’s always good to take a moment to be grateful Xo

      Elle – ellegracedeveson.com

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  11. This is beautiful I sometimes have to leave ig because i find it toxic but i like to follow positive pages and pages that help people. Seeing that helps me be grateful and feel blessed and i love to see others doing acts of kindness. I love your page because you spread positivity and care about others ❤️

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    1. I completely feel you on this! I have a love/hate relationship with Instagram as sometimes, it causes me to place too much pressure on myself to create consistent and meaningful content. But on the flipside, I also follow many positive accounts.

      Thank you for the compliment ❤ and for reading and commenting!

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  15. Omg my emotions reading this 😭 life is so beautiful and sometimes we need those little reminders. I loveed “abundance is my birthright”! That’s a whole affirmation! I’m beyond grateful to read things like this and being reminded to see the blessings everywhere! I hope you have a wonderful day to add to you bank of beautiful memories!

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    1. It is a pain in the ass! Lol. But yes, I am very much grateful for that moment. I love that you do monthly round ups on your blog to reflect on the positives! I need to try that myself. Thank you for reading and commenting!

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  17. I do find that social media can be a source of toxicity in my life; but on the flip side it can also be equally affirming and positive. It can be a space to build community and share things (which is a really great way to use it). Thanks for the reminder to seek out and practice more gratitude.

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    1. Completely agree! The negativity I experience is due to my own feelings of insecurity but overall, I follow many motivating and inspirational people which makes my experience on Instagram positive, overall. Thank you for reading and commenting!

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  20. I am very relaxed when it comes to Instagram, I am aware a lot of people feel that pressure but for me I just post what I want. I turn likes off on my photos, and I post reels without a care about how many people view it. For me Instagram is about showing who I am and what I love and spreading positivity or helping others and that is not for everyone. 🙂 I love that you learnt so much from this though! Also I love to practice gratitude all the time xx

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