The Attitude of Gratitude
From jars to journals, I’ve been practicing gratitude for several years. Although like most of my practices, it’s been an on again/off again thing, life always seems better when I’m on again. Taking the time to reflect daily on all the things you’re grateful for, is a simple way to positively impact your thoughts and your overall outlook on life.
The importance of practicing gratitude for me, is that I’m usually doing it during a time of the day where I’m not feeling particularly grateful for any one thing. By using this tool, I am turning a switch in my brain out of a certain space and into a space filled with light and gratitude. This helps me set the tone for the day.
“I soon discovered that gratitude is a deeper, more complex phenomenon that plays a critical role in human happiness. Gratitude is literally one of the few things that can measurably change peoples’ lives.”
It’s easy to dwell on the negative, even so much so, that it can become our default mode. So, by introducing a gratitude practice into our daily routine, we’re actually reprogramming our brains to tune in to the more positive aspects of our lives, and in turn, experiencing more love and joy in our lives. Not to say that keeping a gratitude journal will keep all the bad days away, but it can make them feel easier to overcome as well as tuning our awareness to the abundance of positive things we experience.
There are so many things in life that we take for granted without even realizing it. Which is why it can be vastly beneficial to take a step back and reflect on the things we have and moments we experience that bring joy and goodness into our lives.
Practicing gratitude can take many forms: journals, lists, jars, and meditation are just a few. It’s helpful to set a number goal of how many things you’d like to write down daily. Maybe you feel like starting small with just 3 things every day, or you’re ready to dive right in and start with 10.
Know this: It’s possible to feel like you have very little to be grateful for when you begin. But you might be surprised to find that once you start reflecting on what you have to be grateful for, just how many things there are!
There have been countless days I’ve opened my gratitude journal with no idea where to start, only to find myself not knowing how to end. We often reserve our gratitude for the typical things like gifts on a special occasion or a promotion. But ultimately, it’s as simple as being grateful for a good cup of coffee, a kind compliment, or finding a good parking space.
Choose a Method
If you’re still unsure of how to begin, start by making it fun. One of my favorite methods of practicing gratitude is by using a Gratitude Jar. Creating one is a simple and fun craft project and filling it with little notes of gratitude is even more exciting. Watching it fill up acts as positive reinforcement and makes for an easy way to reflect when you need a pick-me-up. Just reach in and pull out any note you’ve written to remind yourself of the moments you’ve experienced that have brought you joy. (Get some ideas on Pinterest).
Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash
My current method is using my Gratitude Journal. I got a really cute journal for Christmas and it’s filled with inspiring quotes. So, it made sense to me to dedicate it to my gratitude practice. I use it as a self-reflection tool in my morning routine by writing about 5 things I’m grateful for daily.
In their article, “The Science Behind Gratitude”, Happify Daily even suggests “writing a gratitude letter to someone who had an impact on you whom you’ve never properly thanked.” You don’t even have to send the letter if you don’t feel comfortable doing so, but everyone appreciates feeling appreciated.
Get Specific
It helps to be specific. For instance, instead of writing “I’m grateful for my friends” you could write, “I’m grateful for my friend Candice for always being there to listen when I have a rough day.” Or, “I’m grateful for my friend Bill for offering to pay for my drink at dinner.”
My journal often looks something like this:
“Today I am grateful for: Stephen buying me a coffee, this warm & sunny day giving me the opportunity to work outside, my washer & dryer so I can do laundry while I work at home, finding a great flight deal to NY so I can visit my family, and my friend Chris for taking time to help me with my resume. I am grateful for all these things and more.”
See? Simple!
Developing a Practice
To make it easy to remember, you can schedule your gratitude practice into your daily routine by assigning a few minutes in the morning or at night. Or if you don’t need the structure, you can simply write down moments as they happen.
Developing any habit takes time and patience, so don’t get down on yourself if you have a tough time starting this new habit. Perhaps one of the things you can be grateful for on days you remember is remembering to write down what you’re grateful for because it brings joy into your life. :)
Remember, the point of practicing gratitude is not to bring you stress or make you feel bad if you forget, it’s to make you feel good when you remember.
I appreciate you all for taking the time to read my post about gratitude and supporting this blog. For you, I am grateful. Happy Gratitude-ing!
Do you have a gratitude practice you’d like to share? If so, feel free to add it in the comments below!