CHARLIE INMAN:

Creative director of Mindshine app – the ‘mental health coach in your pocket’ (mindshine.app) A few years ago, a lot of huge changes came into my life in rapid succession. This included my boss at work leaving, pushing me into a position of responsibility I had never wanted or prepared for.

Then my father died suddenly, providing me with another helping of responsibility, with a side order of grief.

Luckily, I had recently started a gratitude practice – the simple ritual of writing a list every morning of all the things you have to be thankful for in life.

Thinking of things can be tricky at first, but like any sort of exercise, you get better with practice. After a few weeks, filling a page came pretty easily. I also got better at noticing things to be thankful for, and seeing opportunities for celebration.

It not only took my mind off my worries, but taught me to re-frame them into opportunities for growth.

This allowed me to see what happened to me as a way to write my story the way I wanted. I didn’t get to control what happened to me, but I got to decide how I wanted to react to it.

I now have a life I never would have had without my gratitude practice.

I thank it for the decision to go for a completely different job – working for Mindshine – which I love, for my two kids and girlfriend, and for allowing me to aim myself at the good I see in life, rather than worry about the bad.

A friend in need is a friend indeed – sometimes we just need someone we can talk to