Living your life with gratitude can be a real game-changer: taking a moment to notice and acknowledge the things you’re grateful for can brighten your outlook, boost your mood and help you feel more positive in the face of challenges.
But there’s more: a gratitude mindset rewires your brain for more joy and less stress, it improves your mental and emotional health, it boosts your self-esteem, it strengthens your ability to notice the good, it improves your ability to weather some of life’s bigger challenges and it boosts your relationships with others. And contrary to what you might think: cultivating gratitude isn’t a complicated endeavor – it just takes a bit of practice.
More than simply showing good manners
From the time we are little, we are asked to thank others when they give us a gift or when they do something nice for us. We learn to thank automatically and as a social rule but how many times do we say “thank you” for the little good things that happen to us daily?
But an effective gratitude practice involves much more than simply showing good manners: it’s a practice that requires recognizing and acknowledging the big and little things that are going well in our lives – or someone else’s gesture towards us – and taking a moment to actually feel grateful for those things. For example, you can feel grateful for certain people, events or circumstances in your life but you can also feel grateful for intangible things like good health or personal growth.
Developing a gratitude mindset
The bus or train showing up right on time, a stranger holding the door for you, the sun shining through your window when you wake up in the morning: these little moments can change the tone of your whole day. But bringing your attention to the things which you feel grateful for, isn’t always easy – especially if you’re brand-new to this way of looking at the world around you.
Fortunately, gratitude is like a muscle that you can build and with the right exercises and practice, you can find at least something small to appreciate in even the bleakest day.
The most known exercise to help you develop a gratitude mindset is keeping a gratitude journal but there are several other small and easy ways to help you take on a grateful outlook:
Take time to notice what’s around you: tuning into your senses can help you appreciate the little things on days when gratitude feels difficult to find. All you need to do is slow down and notice what you can see, hear, touch, smell and taste. You don’t have to look for anything special: practicing gratitude can be as simple as appreciating the comforting scent of your morning coffee, the sound of the beating of your own heart, the warm feeling inside of you when a loved one hugs you or when you cuddle with your pet or simply the fact that you can see all these things with your own eyes.
Don’t limit yourself: you can feel and express gratitude in multiple ways. For example, you can apply gratitude to the past by retrieving positive memories and being thankful for past blessings or certain elements of your childhood but you can also apply gratitude to the present moment by not taking good fortune for granted. You can even apply gratitude to the future by maintaining a hopeful and optimistic attitude.
Look within yourself: when you look in the mirror, give yourself a moment to think about a quality you like about yourself or something you’ve recently accomplished.
Create a gratitude jar: each day you write down something you’re thankful for on a piece of paper and you put it in a jar. That way you have a visual and constant reminder of the good in your life that also provides comfort and joy during challenging times.
Create a gratitude collage to remind yourself of the positive aspects of your life: make a collage with images and words that represent people, places, pets, experiences and things you’re thankful for.
Use mindfulness to turn a routine activity into a gratitude practice: for example, you can practice gratitude during your meals by taking a moment to appreciate the flavors, textures and nourishment provided buy the food you eat.
Set a gratitude alarm on your phone: setting daily reminders on your phone to pause and reflect on what you’re thankful for keeps your focus on the positive and it can help you make gratitude a regular part of your day.
Practice gratitude walks: go for a walk and notice the beauty around you such as the charm of the trees, the warmth of the sun or the smile of a passerby.
Reflect on your challenges: viewing your challenges as opportunities for growth can foster a deeper appreciation for your life’s journey so take a moment to consider the difficulties you’ve experienced and how they have helped you grow. You can even combine this with a journaling exercise: for example, you can come up with a list of past misfortunes and the lessons you’ve learned from each.
Share your gratitude for your loved ones: the next time you notice a kind act by your partner, friend or family member, be sure to let them know. Showing your gratitude and appreciation by simply saying ‘thank you” or giving a hug lets them know that their kind acts don’t go unnoticed and it can also strengthen your relationships with them.
Spread gratitude via your social media: sharing an uplifting moment, a lesson you learned from a book you read or a photo of a place that you’re grateful for is a great way to inspire one another and to remind each other that we have a lot to be grateful for.
Volunteer your time or make a charitable donation to a cause you believe in: giving back to the community or to a cause you care about can be a powerful way to express gratitude for the privileges and resources you have.
And of course you can also decide to keep a gratitude journal in which you write down things that you feel grateful for. You can write about events, people or experiences but try to go beyond listing the most significant moments and accomplishments like “I received a promotion at work” or “my sister got married today” and write down the small but unexpected gifts you received that day such as a nice chat with a friendly passerby, a cool breeze on a hot day, a friend who brought you soup when you were sick or the fact that there was hardly any traffic when you drove home from work. You can also use a journal prompt to get started with your gratitude journal. For example: what were some pleasant sensations you experienced today? – were there moments that made you smile or laugh or boosted your mood? – who did you enjoy spending time with and why?
What do you do to flex your gratitude muscles?
©HolisticHappiness2024
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