How To Be Grateful- Everyday

We cannot control some things or events that happen daily but we can control how we react to them.

I know that is easier said than done.

I know, but believe me, it’s not impossible, and this is when the practice of gratitude comes in.

Gratitude is a simple and inexpensive tool that can be use to help us with our reactions. 

You react differently when your mind is filled with grateful and thankful moments. The grateful and thankful moments cause you to be in a positive state of mind.

When I am in a zone of appreciation for things and people in my life, it is hard for me to see the negative.
Wait, let me rephrase that. It is hard for me to let the negative get me down. I will still see it, but it does not have power over me.

If I was to think of a negative, I am able to think of the bright side and the lesson I learned from it.

Practicing gratitude can also help with boosting immunity & lowering blood pressure according to www.heart.org, 2021.

The beautiful and simple thing about practicing gratitude is that you can take as little as five minutes out of your day to do it.

If you want to know some simple ways on how to be grateful, keep reading.

Here are 4 Simple Ways To Practice Gratitude

Journaling

It is something about putting pen to paper. Writing down grateful moments or things that help put your mind in a positive state.  You become content too.
Practicing gratitude through writing is a ritual to add to your routine.
It gives you control over your time and your focus.
You are being intentional with your time.

In an article on Positive Psychology, Ackerman (2019) discussed Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory regarding how spending time in nature may help provide renewing and rejuvenation of the mind while also giving pleasure.

You may take your journal moment up a notch by adding your favorite beverage and going outside on your patio or porch. Enjoy some nature benefits too.

Gratitude App

Gratitude: Diary, Vision Board-It gives you a digital space to practice gratitude. To get your thoughts flowing, it provides you with prompt reminders.
It sends you daily inspirational quotes/
You can create a vision board with images to inspire goals.

Meditation

You can use meditation as a time to reflect on grateful moments.  If you are new to meditation, you can try a guided meditation.  Insight Timer is a helpful app for guided meditation.

Sometimes, I like to turn up my meditation moment a notch by adding my acupressure mat. I have mentioned this mat a couple of times on the blog.

This tool hurts so well. It is often described as a bed of nails.  It helps mentally and physically.

From my experience, it helps relieve back pain, muscle pain, & tension. It also helps reduce stress, produce relaxation, and improve sleep.

I usually use it as a part of my nighttime routine, but I like to add it to my meditation time when I want to experience the benefits of both together.

Check with your doctor, and do your research before using this tool. I found an article stating how people with high blood pressure may want to avoid it.

Gratitude Jar

Gratitude jar helps to provide an opportunity to be intentional with your time because you have to set aside some time to do this.
It is a simple process. However, since it is a process, it takes practicing gratitude a little farther.
The whole process of writing grateful moments down and putting them in a jar is therapeutic.
You can keep it in plain view as a reminder that you have moments in your life to be grateful for.

These ways give you the opportunity to take some time out of each day to find and acknowledge the good and grateful moments, people, and things that are in your life.

What you are grateful for may differ from the next person. That is OK. It is all about adding a moment and way in your everyday life where you can acknowledge yours.

The more you do it, the more it becomes a part of your routine.

Next thing you know, you will be thinking of how to be grateful without solely thinking on it.

It will become automatic. Guess what? You will experience the benefits automatically also. Great, right?

Until next time

Sources:

Ackerman, C. (2019). What is Kaplan’s Restoration Attention Theory (ART). Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/attention-restoration-theory/

Thankfulness: How Gratitude Can Help Your Health retrieved from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/mental-health-and-wellbeing/thankfulness-how-gratitude-can-help-your-health