96: Gratitude Is Choosing To Love Our Life More Than We Hate Our Pain

<p>Our guest today is Lauren Blanchard Zalewski. She is a writer, speaker, passionate champion of all things&nbsp;<strong>gratitude</strong>, and a self-diagnosed “<em>gratitude addict</em>,” hence the name of her blog.&nbsp; Having lived with chronic illness for over 20 years and hitting a very deep personal rock bottom in 2013, she has found that the single most powerful tool to aid in her emotional healing is&nbsp;<strong>gratitude</strong>.&nbsp; Her year-long&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gratitudeaddict.com/gratitude-project-of-2016/">“Gratitude Project of 2016”</a>&nbsp;on Facebook deepened her understanding of the effectiveness of this in a life-altering way.</p> <p>She is the founder of the Facebook group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/attitudeofgratitudewithchronicpain">“<em>Attitude of Gratitude with Chronic Pain</em>,”</a>&nbsp;along with its several sister spin-off groups which offer various tools for healing and happiness for those living with chronic emotional and/or physical conditions. &nbsp;Additionally, she hosts the weekly live broadcast, “<a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa53k5r-dOzwUAMu14GFs6gxsZNRnrc-P"><em>Gratefully Living the Chronic Life</em></a>,” which streams on both Facebook Live and YouTube on Thursdays at 8 pm EST.&nbsp; Each week brings expert guests and new topics pertaining to living our best possible lives despite dealing with life’s curveballs.</p> <p>Lauren is a voracious student of the human experience who has spent many years delving into intensive research into the power of&nbsp;<strong>gratitude</strong>&nbsp;as a powerful tool for those who endure life’s difficulties, such as pain and illness. Her mission, passion, and life’s work lie in spreading the message of&nbsp;<strong>gratitude</strong>&nbsp;as the ultimate ‘therapy’ for resilience, hope, joy, and intention even through the most difficult of circumstances.</p> <p>Her first book,&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/3mZhi1X"><em><strong>“</strong></em></a><a href="https://amzn.to/3oOfbyl" target="_b