Mindy Kaling is practicing 'radical gratitude' after what she calls a 'rollercoaster' year
Mindy Kaling is reminding her fans to take stock of the good things in life at the end of what she calls a “rollercoaster” year.
The Office star and creator of HBO Max's The Sex Lives of College Girls took to Instagram on Tuesday to share some reflections about life and what she’s learned this year, while encouraging her followers to practice “radical gratitude.”
“I’m not always a super reflective person,” Kaling began the caption, alongside a photo of her daughter Katherine, 4. She also has a son, Spencer, 1, who is not pictured.
“I think part of why I’m successful is because of this relentless urge not to dwell, and to move forward (which is probably because of my discomfort to do the hard work of examining what’s going on in my life),” Kaling continued. “The truth is, this year was a rollercoaster. Some truly wonderful things happened, but also, disappointments, and heartaches. People hurt me, let me down, and I know I have done the same.”
She continued: “The end of the year, reflection is hard to avoid, isn’t it? I think sometimes radical gratitude is the only thing that helps me. (And not in some guilt-inducing ‘acknowledge your privilege’ kind of way. Just like, taking stock of the good things.) I’m grateful I can walk, with my daughter, on a beach in late December picking up shells and then going back inside the house for dinner. Acknowledging the enormous amount I have to be grateful for makes me actually feel content, you know? What is making you feel that way these days?”
Kaling’s heartfelt message resonated with several fans, many of whom began sharing stories of their own achievements this year, as well as their journey toward finding gratitude in dark times.
“Yes to acknowledging what we have and radical gratitude,” one comment wrote. “In the midst of the daily chaos, I’m grateful for slower moments with my son and husband.”
“My life changed on December 9th. I finally got my RN that I have been working towards for 10 years,” another shared.
“Beautifully said,” a fan wrote. “It feels like so much happened this year it’s hard to process it all but I agree, it’s why even small moments of gratitude are so important.”
“Today I'm happy to have time to take a pic at noontime [of] the flower of a native tree growing in my garden,” added another. “Why? Because I realize that many women are working hard these days in their offices or selling stuff in the streets. I'm grateful to be at noontime at home and have time to admire a little flower. I don't have money but I enjoy those little things that really matter.”
Of course, Kaling isn't new to sharing her thoughts of gratitude with her fans along with a gorgeous beach photo. During Thanksgiving, the actress and producer shared a rare photo of Katherine and Spencer as the eldest child pushed her baby brother in a stroller during a sunset beach outing.
"What I’m grateful for this year," Kaling captioned the photo.
Kaling has been notoriously mum about the paternity of both children. In fact, she kept the fact that she gave birth to her son almost entirely secret until a month after he was born.
"I’m telling this for the first time. It feels so strange," she told Stephen Colbert in October 2020, which marked the first time Kaling spoke about it publicly. "This is news to a lot of people. It’s true."
Previously, she'd explained the decision not to reveal the paternity of her children in a 2019 interview with Glamour magazine.
"It's really essential to my life that there be something not everybody knows about," she told the publication. "That's a boundary, but it's a very small boundary. Everything else I really don't have any issue sharing."
Want lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Life’s newsletter.
