PRACTICING GRATITUDE || 3 Simple Ways to Become More Grateful
Little did you know practicing gratitude daily can be a game changer. Gratitude implies and goes beyond just showing good manners. It’s a practice of acknowledging someone else’s gestures and generosity towards you, as well as things that are going well with you as an individual.
The benefits of practicing gratitude are endless. Counting your blessings every day will increase your happiness and overpower negative emotions. Gratitude is like a wand we will always have in our pockets - a magical tool for improving your and others’ well-being.
It’s never too late to start, and here are 3 simple ways to become more grateful.
Practice mindful meditation and thankfulness mantras.
Start a Gratitude Journal
To recall and recognize positive memories more than negative ones, it’s helpful to keep a journal to write them down. Document all the things and people you are grateful for - name this journal The Gratitude Journal.
There’s no right or wrong or a minimum number of words required. Write as much as you like - but remember to write one gratitude item a day. The ultimate goal is to be thankful for what you have. As you continue this habit of gratitude, it will eventually become a memory that will naturally stumble across your mind.
Begin with a gratitude journal.
Stay Engaged With People in Your Life
With our busy lives nowadays, it’s hard to constantly stay engaged with all the relationships in our lives - friends, family, and loved ones. Stating a bit of an obvious here - but those we love in our lives provide us with a sense of validation and connection; they lift us up and make us feel whole and grounded.
It’s emotionally therapeutic to remain engaged with the relationships in our lives.
Mindful Meditation and Thankfulness Mantra
Maybe you’re still a bit skeptical about writing in a journal. Let’s take a step back and perhaps give meditation a shot. You can cultivate an attitude of gratitude through mindful meditation or, for beginners - guided meditation. You can incorporate meditation into your current yoga practice. Take a moment to thank yourself for coming to your mat today, push yourself a little further in your practice and share your practice with those around you.
Thankfulness mantras are phrases we repeat to ourselves - it’s something you can incorporate into your morning routine. Statements such as “Despite the negativity surrounding me, I have many things to be grateful for - my family, my friends, my health.” These reminders will train our brains to default to positive thoughts of gratitude.
Mindful meditation.
With the most wonderful holiday season just around the corner, there’s no better time to begin practicing an attitude of gratitude. In all the chaos and hectic schedules happening in our daily lives, it’s easy to lose count of the things we are grateful for
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. ”
