Over the last few years, I have finally started doing a regular gratitude practice.
After I wake up, I spend a few minutes writing at least 3 things that I am grateful for.
Sometimes, when I’m feeling inspired, I write more as new ideas and thoughts come into my mind but never less than 3. I have a special journal that I solely use for my gratitude practice. I try not to repeat the same ones every day (!) however there can be a common theme to some of them; gratitude for my partner and daughter a reoccurring theme!
There is something quite enlightening about doing this regularly which changed your perceptions over time. I found that after overcoming my resistance to doing it, it enabled me to learn about myself through revealing some truths about myself, that I may not have recognised otherwise. I now really enjoy the process and time spent on this area of my development.
So here are my top reasons why you could consider starting something similar.
- Orientation. Previously I found that I was starting the day without necessarily having a positive orientation to the day. By starting my day with my gratitude practice, I begin with a positive mental outlook where I am acknowledging the beneficial aspects of my life.
- The process of writing these points every day allows me to bring awareness of my good fortune and joy. It allows a moment of reflection to consider the positives and qualities I have in my life. My daily focus on them turns that thinking into a habit.
- I notice that my regular practice allows me to actively look for reasons to be grateful every day. This has changed my attention and focus in my daily activities. It’s not always easy to think of things, so the effort of writing them daily means that I am constantly on the lookout for things to be grateful for
- One word, that emphasises how gratitude can build positivity and trust is appreciation. I have started to increasingly appreciate this particular word! Appreciate has a few meanings but I particularly like ‘recognise the full worth”. I find that meaning helpful in examining beyond the surface and recognising other positive dimensions to people and events. It also provides a potential reframe of an event that I may have resisted or disliked, but reflection allows me to see the positive aspect that also came out of it.
- Sometimes it can be easy to feel sorry for yourself and wallow in self-pity and angst. I have found that focussing on reasons to be grateful can build resilience and orientate myself away from such unproductive thoughts. It allows me to break the habit of negative thoughts that can manifest, and allow me to create more positive emotional health through redirecting my attention to what ‘is’ rather than what I wanted to happen!
- The expression of gratitude also allows my heart to open up and feel heart-centered rather than overtly brain focused. It might only last until I’m stuck in traffic but it sets the standard for the day and allows the creation of a different state!
- As such, my gratitude practice has affected and changed my behaviours and actions in the world. This change in behaviour, actions, and feelings then creates further positive changes in the world around me. People respond more positively when I express my appreciation to them.
- When verbalising our appreciation to someone, we are recognising and validating them. People like to be around other people which makes them feel good. We are creating the conditions to allow others to be drawn to us and learn to appreciate us too simply by the way we interact with them.
It can start off feeling quite awkward to demonstrate or verbalise gratitude, but once I started doing it and incorporating it into my daily routine – the corresponding increase in positivity can feel uplifting. The attitude of gratitude is a standard that we can set for ourselves. This practice can start to amplify a heart-centered way of being, with its corresponding benefits in heart coherency as mentioned elsewhere.
For a run through some recent research on the science of gratitude, see here