ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/
noun
- the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
Gratitude is a trendy thing these days. With hashtags, yoga poses, and cute workout tees promoting the G word like crazy. And with good reason. Having a solid gratitude practice can redirect your entire life and being! But with trends, phrases become cliché and often lose their authenticity. So I wanted to share the benefits of having an attitude of gratitude and give you some tools to experience it personally so you can see real change in your life.
I’m going to go out on a limb and bet you open your eyes first thing in the morning and grab your phone. You check texts, maybe emails, and before you know it you’re on Instagram or facebook checking out everyone’s ‘best life’ pictures and feeling inadequate before your feet even hit the ground. Yikes! Suddenly you’re moving through your morning with the negative self talk playing on repeat in your head and you feel flustered, anxious, behind, and plain blah.
Now imagine a different scenario…You wake up, open your eyes (or maybe not sleepy head) and you immediately think of 5 things your grateful for. Maybe you even grab a journal (or your phone’s notes section) and write down your fab 5! Now you’re moving through your morning more grounded, centered, full of joy and the good vibes are surrounding you like crazy.
I’ve been known to do both scenarios and I can tell you first hand, starting your day with gratitude is life changing! Here are my top tips to help you incorporate this practice into your life…
- Before falling asleep at night, list 5 things you are grateful for.
- Do the same, first thing in the morning.
- Keep a gratitude journal.
- Challenge yourself to find gratitude in EVERY situation. It’s called a practice of gratitude for good reason; it takes practice. But I promise, there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for!
- Ask your kids what their highlight of the day was. We do this at dinner, after an event, in the car-wherever! Just simply ask “What was your favorite part” or “Or what was the best thing that happened”. You will be surprised with how amazing a child’s perspective is and maybe you will even learn from them.
- When you call a friend, start with a compliment or a thank you before you unload your stress, worry, and drama on them.
- Greet your partner with a highlight of the day before you dig into what’s bugging you.
- When you feel like you want to run from a situation, feel angry, or especially hurt… pause and be grateful for those feelings; they are who you are and for good reason. Anger is usually a result of passion, hurt results from love, and wanting to run means you are trying to protect yourself. It’s all good.
- Tune into nature. When you take it all in, it’s mind blowing how much is accomplished and your worries will start to melt away.
- Every time you find yourself worrying, pause and find something to be grateful for instead. Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It will keep you busy, but it won’t get you anywhere. Worry is also a sign of looking too far ahead. Gratitude helps us stay present.
I hope you all have fun with these and see how quickly your life and mood improves!