As 2024 has ended and 2025 is well under way, I have had a little reflection on how I’ve changed and developed over the previous year. One thing that I have gotten better at is practicing gratitude for even the smallest things in life which in turn makes every day a little better and a little brighter.
I feel like too many of us are living our lives waiting for the weekend. No shade or judgement in that statement, I have also been guilty of that too. However, I have adopted this really dumb internet trend into my personal life. This dumb internet trend is individuals posting a photo with the caption ‘Never kill yourself’. The photo is usually something so ridiculous, yet personal. It can vary from someone having a really nice-looking sandwich whilst watching their favourite show to something like a new Lego they’ve built. The point of the trend is posting a photo specifically innocuous and almost childishly simple rather than the big grand things like a new job or graduation or a wedding.
To me, the beauty of the trend is the simplicity. Too many of us obviously celebrate the big wins such as a new job or buying a new house. We don’t need to be reminded to be grateful that we have these things or to look forward to these moments. However, too many of us (myself included), don’t take the time to just celebrate the little wins really. The caption is something as serious as never kill yourself but pairing it with a silly photo is a great outlook to have.
As someone who has struggled with mental health issues such as suicidal ideation and has gone to therapy for it, I understand the seriousness of the topic of suicide. However, one thing that many depressed people lose sight of is all the small wins in between. We as humans tend to focus on the bad. We go on holiday and something goes wrong and yet that ends up being the take away often enough. We get a good score on a test and exam, but often we switch to thinking that we could have done a little better. Some among us are more likely to leave bad reviews than to ever leave a good one. Paired with the fact that as adults life goes at 100mph and we don’t have any time to process any one emotion before we have to move on to the next thing. There are very few quiet and still moments as an adult, at least in a city like London anyway.
It is something that my girlfriend and I regularly say to each other for the explicitly small things. We are watching a new anime, and we say to each other ‘never kill yourself’. We are eating a really nice takeaway or simply having a nice lie and the phrase is uttered. It is just something that adds to simple gratitude in that moment and reminds the other one to take in that moment in its entirety.
So, the phrase itself can be quite intense for some to say so flippantly, and that’s fine. Another phrase can be adopted, so long as you are practicing gratitude. Being grateful for a nice cup of coffee, or a bus arriving soon, or any small and simple thing, because honestly it is the simple things that can make everyday worth living for. It is the simple things that punctuate the quieter moments that lead up to the bigger ones. It is the simple things on the Monday to Friday that gets us to the weekend.
I historically have been a person who struggled with gratitude, and for me, I could never be present because I was looking for the next big thing to be grateful or happy for. Completely overlooking the simpler moments. Instead of finding happiness in the rare big moments, I neglected to find happiness in all the simple silent moments. I starved myself of appreciating every day as I wasted away looking for the next big fix of dopamine.
Now my dear reader…
…If anything I’ve said resonates with you then find your own mantra. Whether it is saying to yourself ‘It’s the little things’ or ‘it’s the small things’, etc, find a phrase that brings you into the moment and lets you appreciate it. Sometimes, we all need a reminder that things aren’t as bad as they feel and that life isn’t just about the big moments or the big wins. This year, practice some gratitude and who knows, maybe every day becomes a little brighter, rather than just here and there.
The Life Of Lazlo 
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