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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
