Gratitude is one of the most researched and validated tools for wellbeing — and also one of the most complicated when you’re living with chronic illness.
Because someone will inevitably tell you to “just be grateful.” As if gratitude is a simple switch. As if it doesn’t coexist with grief, frustration, and the very real difficulty of a body that makes daily life hard.
Here we talk about gratitude honestly. Not as a performance or a bypass of the hard things — but as a genuine practice of noticing what is still good, still beautiful, still worth something, even on the days when everything hurts.
That kind of gratitude takes practice. And it’s worth it.
Blog Articles Related to Gratitude
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things – Part 3
This series on My Favorite Things has become a gentle practice of noticing—of honoring the small experiences that bring comfort, clarity, and calm. In this third post, I’m sharing a few more of the favorite things that help me feel rooted and present, reminders that...
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things – Part 2
Some things stay with us over the years, quietly weaving their way into the fabric of who we are. These favorite moments and simple pleasures have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, grounding me in a sense of gratitude and joy. In this second part...
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things – Part 1
In the soft light of morning, when the world feels still, I find my heart overflowing with gratitude for the little things that make life so very sweet. There is magic in these small blessings, a quiet joy that fills my soul with warmth. Here, in this first part of my...
12 Gratitude Practices to Cultivate More Health, Happiness and Joy in Life
Participation in consistent gratitude practices pays huge dividends when it comes to creating more health, happiness, and joy in one’s life. Seriously – the results from these gratitude studies are pretty amazing. In fact, science shows that gratitude is required for...
About Cultivate an Exceptional Life
Cultivate an Exceptional Life is a chronic illness community for women who are done waiting for their hard season to be over before they start really living.
Here you'll find honest stories, practical tools, and hard-won wisdom for building a life you love — alongside your illness, not in spite of waiting for it to get better.
Because an exceptional life doesn't just happen. It has to be cultivated.
Meet Leisa Watkins
Leisa is a chronic illness writer and advocate living with MS, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, and CFS/ME, and a mom navigating her kids' chronic illness journeys alongside her own.
She writes from lived experience and years of research, sharing practical strategies and compassionate guidance for women building a full life alongside chronic illness.
Not a medical professional. Please consult your healthcare provider for medical advice.