GIVING THANKS: AMC's Stephanie Gatschet shares six steps to fill your heart with gratitude

Posted Wednesday, November 21, 2018 10:08:54 AM

Thanksgiving is upon us, which makes this the perfect time to learn how to practice daily gratitude. Daytime alum Stephanie Gatschet (ex-Madison North, All My Children; ex-Tammy Layne-Winslow, Guiding Light), now an expert in holistic health, explains how.

There are many things in life to be thankful for, but it's often difficult to keep them in mind and focus on being grateful. Fortunately for soap opera fans, daytime alum Stephanie Gatschet (ex-Madison North, All My Children; ex-Tammy Layne-Winslow, Guiding Light) is an expert at living a life filled with gratitude and was kind enough to share some helpful hints. (Just one of many things we can feel thankful for this holiday season.)

Shortly after AMC's cancellation, Gatschet immersed herself in the wellness world and studied holistic health at the Natural Healing Institute in Encinitas, CA. She's currently completing a Masters of Science in Integrative Nutrition through the Maryland University of Integrative Health -- which arguably makes her the most knowledgeable daytime star when it comes to knowing how to lead a happy and healthy life filled with many moments of gratitude.

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Entering this Autumn time, I am feeling particularly grateful for my solid "return" to my meditation practice. 🧘🏼‍♀️📿 It never fully went away, of course, but after 3+ years somewhat lost in early motherhood I have finally made the choice to once again prioritize having a connection to a meditation center, dharma teachings, and a spiritual community. More than 8 years ago, my friend @cameronmathison introduced me to the modern, practical meditations and dharma teachings of the Kadampa Meditation Centers (located in cities all over the U.S. and in countries around the globe), and for years I went to classes, workshops, and retreats to deepen my practice. It has brought crazy amounts of joy and meaning into my life. Then I had a kid. 😂 Motherhood is a wild ride, and a particularly important reason (I'm learning) to practice meditation, improve my patience, compassion, love, and wisdom, and to "keep my cup full", so to speak, so that I can be 💯 for my daughter and her dad. SO, I've made two commitments recently: to teach a kids' meditation class every Sunday (✨joy of joys, it is magical ✨), and to attend a weekly study program at @kmc_sandiego. We study a book and practice meditations together every Tuesday night as a big group. Last night was our fourth class of this season, and it felt soooo good. Taking the time, and applying the effort, is so key to well being. I've got my village (thanks for babysitting every Tuesday mom! 😃👍🏻) and I'm getting back on track. There's almost nothing I enjoy more than talking about this stuff, and introducing others to modern buddhism and/or meditation, so feel free to ask me any questions or open up conversation! ✌🏻 📷: @melrosephoto #wellnessfromwithin #wellness #meditation #buddhism #motherhood #selfcare #kmc #kadampa #modernbuddhism #nutrition #holisticnutrition #dharma #innerpeace #spirituality

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Gatschet's wellness background caught the eye of her longtime friend and former AMC costar, Denise Vasi (ex-Randi Hubbard), who launched a health, beauty and lifestyle website called MAED earlier this year. Vasi asked Madison's former portrayer if she would write an article about living with purposeful gratitude, which Gatschet was more than happy to do.

"November is often referred to as the month of giving thanks, but gratitude is something we should feel in our hearts all year long, not just during the month in which we celebrate Thanksgiving," Vasi writes in the intro to the article. "I reached out to Stephanie because I knew she would have relatable and straightforward tips we could all use to practice daily gratitude in our lives."

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So excited to announce that I'll be speaking on @fashionmamas' Self-Care panel at their #MamasMakingItSummit on Sunday, June 3 at @thelinehotel in LA. We'll be discussing the importance of giving your mind, body, and soul some much-needed TLC while nurturing your business and Little Ones. 🌿 Learn more at fashionmamas.com/summit.

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And indeed, Gatschet does spell out six easy ways in which we can all learn to carry gratitude in our hearts on a daily basis, writing: "It is safe to say that a heart filled with gratitude is a happy heart indeed. Along with love, it carries the highest vibration of any emotion we can feel (yes, emotions vibrate). It simply FEELS GOOD! Gratitude fills the heart with warmth and, literally, good vibes. So needless to say, it is something we want to cultivate more of in our everyday lives."

To learn the six ways we can "evoke and hold onto the warm, fuzzy feeling of gratitude," check out Gatschet's full article, available on Vasi's website MAED.

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✨6 Simple Steps to Fill Your Heart With Gratitude✨ up now on @denisevasi 's Maed.co (link in bio). Gratitude is a high-vibe, feel-good state of mind. These are some practical ideas to help us tap into gratitude more and more. Enjoy! 😊🙏🏻 📷: @laurenalexandra_photography #maed #gratitude #grateful #peace #innerpeace #happy #wellnessfromwithin

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Stephanie Gatschet became a professional actress at the age of nine and starred in many off-Broadway theatrical productions before landing the role of Guiding Light's Tammy Layne-Winslow in 2002. She played the character until 2007 and later took on the role of All My Children's Madison North in 2009. When AMC went off the air in 2011, Gatschet decided to take a step back from acting and focused instead on immersing herself in the wellness world, working for various integrative and functional medicine doctors, practicing and teaching meditation, and developing a passion for holistic nutrition.

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Nothing gives me more pleasure than practicing and sharing dharma teachings, exploring practical ways to use meditations, or simply positive mindsets, to approach every day challenges. I've had the opportunity to teach a few fun topics recently at @kmc_sandiego, and I'm excited to announce that starting this Saturday June 2nd, I'll be teaching monthly kids & family meditation classes as well! Each class will include a short teaching, easy guided meditation, a themed craft project, and pancakes!! 🥞😊 If you're in San Diego, or have friends with kids that live here, check out www.meditateinsandiego.org for more details. $10/family, Sat June 2nd 10-11:30am. If you don't live nearby, google search for a Kadampa Meditation Center in your area... most centers offer children's classes 😀 o o #meditation #meditationforkids #innerpeace #holistichealth #holisticnutrition #nourishyourmind #wellness #buddhism #wellnessfromwithin #dharma #kmc #kadampa #peace #sandiego

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Denise Vasi began her career as a model, gracing the pages of international campaigns for publications like Elle, Marie Claire, and GQ Italy. She played the role of AMC's Randi Morgan Hubbard from 2008 to 2011. She later went on to appear in the film Magic Mike and played one of the leads in the VH1 series Single Ladies. She now serves as founder of MAED.

What do you think about Gatschet's tips to live a life filled with gratitude? Which of the six are you most likely to follow and why? What are some of the small things you're thankful for at this moment in your life? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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