Gratitude: 3 Simple Ways to Add this Life-Changing Habit to Your Daily Routine
“Gratitude: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”
To practice gratitude is to thank the sun, the moon, the stars, and the sky for the beautiful things it shows us in those special moments of each day. Things often overlooked and taken for granted in the slow humdrum of days that pass us by.
We, humans, have a nasty habit of focusing all of our energy on the things we don’t have; or moving through life without appreciating the true beauty and miracle life is on its own. Our energy is spent wishing and dreaming of everything we’ve ever wanted while ignoring all the things that are right in front of our faces. One of your standard, life is always greener scenarios.
Our health, the ability to move our arms or our legs, waking up in the morning, a roof over our heads, a pair of shoes, a full tummy, having a voice to express our thoughts, a vehicle, family, friends, breathing in the fresh air, being able to see the world with our eyes, smelling new candles and tasting new foods are just a few small examples.
Beautiful things are everywhere. It just takes a little bit of time to find it all.
When the Valley fire happened this year, I thought about all of the people who lost their homes. Many had to live in close proximity to others in shelters during a pandemic because they were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Bringing in two of my worst fears: fires and being close to people during COVID, and this reality was only 30 miles away from me. But here I was, reading news stories from it on my phone in the comfort of my home. The only reminder that it was still happening was the smell of smoke that had turned the sky orange, and the updates on my SDEmergency app.
What does this have to do with anything?
Well, when the pairing of the pandemic and wildfires joined together, my anxiety heightened ten-fold, same as probably every other person who lived in the vicinity. All I thought about was wanting to put my family in a bubble and keep them safe from what was out there. The fires humbled me and allowed me to see what could’ve been. I realized how incredibly lucky I was to have everything I did, and my anxiety dropped immensely after acknowledging things I was thankful for. I was able to cultivate gratitude into my life through everything I still had.
It changed my thought process, and in the long run, helped me in every way possible. I was seeing pictures every day of the victims of the fire, and they were speaking out about their stories. Some of them spoke of how thankful they were for everything they still had. I listened, I learned, and then I worked on creating my own gratitude journey.
What can you gain from practicing gratitude?
By practicing gratitude, your brain fights off those toxic emotions that can leave us feeling pessimistic and gloomy. Emotions such as resentment, envy, anger, hate, angst, regret, and even disgust. The kind of feelings that leave you more drained, anxious, and depressed.
By practicing gratitude daily, you will enhance all spectrums in your life.
Some of the benefits you’ll receive when practicing include:
- Higher satisfaction with life
- Higher quality relationships
- Less physical pain
- Improved physical health
- Improved psychological health
- Increased empathy
- Decreased aggression or agitation
- Increased self-esteem
- Decreased stress level
- Improved quality of sleep
- Increased emotional intelligence
- Decreased emotional reactivity
- Decreased depression symptoms
- Decreases anxiety symptoms
- Increased selflessness
- Stronger immune system
- Decreased blood pressure
With the multitude of benefits gratitude brings, it’s no mystery as to why it’s becoming so popular, especially with professionals in the mental health and wellness communities.
It’s an untapped resource that harnesses quality, powerful ways of creating your happiness.
Real, authentic happiness.
This underused anecdote single-handedly combats those miserable feelings just by listing off a few things each day that you’re appreciative of.
With all the hype gratitude gets, am I really going to feel these benefits?
My heart hurts too bad to think of things to be thankful for…
I don’t have time…
I don’t have the energy…
Do it anyway!
Through this development, remember to be patient with yourself. You are quite literally retraining your brain, and it takes time. Just as one would train for a marathon, you start small and work your way up from there.
When you push yourself into exploring different avenues of healing thoughts, you allow your potential to flourish when presented with opportunities for change and growth.
Scanning for the good in things reshapes your brain over time, making it easier to spot those sweet things in life a bit easier. The more you do it, the easier and faster it will come to you.
So, what are the three ways you can integrate this practice into your daily life?
- Daily journaling: You can set aside a few minutes each morning or night to dedicate to this. Think of it as a sacred time. Reflect on the last 24 hours and write down three to five things you are grateful for. Even if it was the absolute worst day ever, there are still things you can find. Maybe you had to put your dog down that day. Expressing gratitude for the years of happiness you brought each other could be a beautiful tribute to your furry friend. By searching for the good in any situation, you are quite literally rewiring your brain to pick up on more silver linings in life.
- Gratitude mapping: Similar to that of a dream board, you can print out pictures of everything you’re grateful for. Add to it! Leave it in someplace you pass often. Take a minute each day to just look at it. Pictures of your family, your fridge that’s full of food, your clean cozy bed, your neighborhood, the trees, the birds in the sky. Anything and everything. Print out pictures and stick them up on there. When you opt for this method, make sure to take a few moments each day to stop by it, and just look. Soak up all those sweet things in life that you have and are grateful for.
- Meditate on it: If you gravitate towards simplicity, meditating on your gratitude may be the one for you. It allows you to take a mental note of what you’re grateful for and relish in those moments for a few minutes. Just the act of meditating can slow you down and allows for better observation when you travel inward. You can do this while you’re still in bed, taking in those quiet moments of the morning or evening. Breathe deeply, and think of three things that may have made you smile that day. Even if it’s as tiny as crossing paths with a butterfly, or burning your favorite candle, or being wrapped up in your coziest blanket that makes you feel safe and warm.
During times of change and challenge, practicing gratitude will lend a helping hand to help you appreciate the smallest things. The things that truly matter.
Of course, when you incorporate a practice that can shift your thinking, processing, and perspective, there will be some pushback from your own brain and thought patterns.
Leon Brown knew best when he said, “You are your own worst enemy. It is your negative thoughts that hold you back, nothing else.” We as humans tend to have this tendency to believe the worst in ourselves or in a situation. We skip to the worst possible scenario in an effort to prepare ourselves, without realizing how detrimental it is.
Why?
Because it’s easier. It’s easier to fuel the flames of self-doubt and hate, rather than encompass ourselves in affirmations, gratitude, and love.
In the long run, by fanning the flames on toxic beliefs, they get louder and stronger. It becomes so ingrained in our tendencies that we start believing it’s just who we are, and that we can’t change it. It can feel nearly impossible to shift your ways because to you, it may feel deep-rooted in your soul.
I am here to say that it doesn’t need to be this way!
By implementing a gratitude practice, you will begin to feel lighter, happier, and overall better about yourself. It is scientifically proven to work, and in many case studies, the effects linger for months after even if you’ve stopped practicing.
So start today! Choose you. Pick up that pen and write down three things you are grateful for. Now sit back, smile, and be prepared for the journey of self-love and positive brain waves that have officially begun.
The hardest part is continuing to do it daily. So if you need a reminder, set a daily timer.
Nike stated it best with their infamous slogan, “just do it.”
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