Hey everyone, it's K-Sunga here. I just want to let you know that we've launched a brand

new call and advice podcast called Dear Headspace. Each week the headspace teachers, along

with some amazing new friends, are answering your questions about relationships, work,

life, mindfulness, and just about everything else. It's so different from anything we've

ever created and we're so excited for you to hear it. Dear Headspace comes out every

Tuesday on the Headspace app and anywhere that you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening.

Hi, I'm Samantha and welcome to Radio Headspace and to Friday. So when I first moved to

Sweden in the summer, it was beautiful. The trees were bright green, the sky blue, and

the temperature mild and lovely. People seemed so happy. Families were savoring the sunshine

by barbecuing and swimming in the lake and I was freshly in love so that loving glow followed

me wherever I went. But things changed quite a bit when I experienced my first winter in

Sweden. It was dark, cold, and lonely. The sun went down by 3pm and people were far less

chipper. After feeling low day after day, I proclaimed one morning that I refused to

be miserable. It was like a mantra for me to hold on to when my mind started to fixate

on what I didn't like about my current situation. I thought it might be helpful to start a

gratitude challenge for myself to turn my attention toward the moments of joy that I

witnessed throughout my day. And I shared my commitment with my friends on social media

and received a lot of encouragement and support. I usually don't share a ton on social

media for a few reasons. One, I like to be fully present in the moments of my life and

I find that sharing these moments on social media sometimes takes me out of them. I think

to myself why take a photo of the Mona Lisa when I can actually stand there and appreciate

it. This is why I have so few pictures of my travels and I'm always grateful when

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