Gratitude is so good for our wellbeing! It helps to calm and uplift us and it raises our vibration, which supports healing.
Here are some tips that you might like to try. Perhaps start by just picking one – whichever one feels right for you – and commit to practicing it for the next 3-4 weeks. Doing something, every day, for this length of time, helps to set up a new habit.
After 4 weeks you’ll be able to see how much difference gratitude can make to how you feel!
- Keep a gratitude diary and commit to writing in it every morning and evening. This helps to start your day in an uplifted frame of mind, and to set you up for a good night’s rest.
Do your best to find new things each day to be grateful for.
Pay attention to your self-talk too, noticing when you use words like ‘should’, ‘must’ or ‘have to’. How do these make you feel?
Look instead for words that feel supportive & uplifting, and that open up possibilities for you.
For example, instead of ‘I have to write in my gratitude journal today’ you could try something like, ‘I’m excited to see what new things I can add to my journal today!’
- Keep a ‘gratitude stone’ in your pocket – this doesn’t have to be a stone 😊 It could be a button or a coin, just something small that fits easily into your pocket. Every time you put your hand into your pocket and feel the object, it can remind / prompt you to think of something that you’re grateful for.
- Write gratitude Power Truths (affirmations) and stick them up where you’ll see them regularly – eg your bathroom mirror.
Power Truths are:- positive statements (ie statements without negation, that is, words like ‘don’t’)
- in the present tense
- something that you can believe to be true
(ie something that doesn’t cause your inner voice to say ‘yes, but that will never happen’)
- Any time you find yourself in negative thoughts / feelings, break the cycle by taking a moment to pause, breathe, and find something to be grateful for – even if it’s just the fact that you’ve noticed the negativity and have been able to pause and reflect on it!
You can also add movement – walking is great – to help shift you out of negative energy, and then choose something more uplifting to focus on. - Spend time with people who uplift you and help you to feel grateful. This could be face-to-face, and also what you choose to read (books, articles, newspapers) and watch (tv, videos, YouTube, social media).
Decrease the amount of time that you spend with people / materials that bring you down.
I’d love to hear your top tips on gratitude! Please feel free to share in the comments below.
And if you’d like to connect for a chat on anything that I’ve talked about here, then just get in touch.