Gratitude Practices
Last week, we talked about gratitude and the manner in which it is an emotion and a practice. Through my reading and research of gratitude, I came across three primary benefits that I remember as motivation to remain intentional about consistent engagement with gratitude.
Deep appreciation. Greater participant. Celebrate goodness.
A life filled with more of these things sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? So how exactly do we implement gratitude practices? Below are a list of some ideas.
My goal is to engage in at least one gratitude practice a day, but the exact practice I do often changes from dad to day.
Journal: take time at some point in your day to jot down some things that you are grateful for
Big/Small things: write down 5 big things you are thankful for (family, income, job, housing) and 5 small things you are thankful for (cozy socks on a cold day, pumpkin creamer in your coffee, candles that fill the house with a sweet aroma)
Slow down: Find 5 minutes in your day where you intentionally take things really slow. Maybe you sit in the presence of a loved one with with no agenda and simply enjoy their presence. Go outside and enjoy nature for 5 minutes. Pick a tasty treat and eat it slowly as you soak in all the tastes.
Mindful appreciation breathing: We often breath subconsciously and rarely think about the life giving action it is. When I do mindful appreciation breathing I also put a hand on my heart to attune to the beating of my heart and all that it provides for my body.
Mindful walk: I’m personally not a huge fan of feet, but do you ever think about how much our feet actually do for us? Go on a walk and take your steps real slow. Ponder and appreciate how much weight our feet carry and how often they hold us up throughout the day.
Dinner table: Take time while you sit around the dinner table with loved ones to name what you are grateful for.
Prayer/mantra: At times when you want to attune to gratitude you can turn to prayer or a mantra. For mantras, I enjoy turning to loving kindness phrases.
What gratitude practice will you try today?
