Gratitude is being thankful and appreciative of what we have. It means acknowledging and being grateful for the little things in our everyday life.
The practice of gratitude forces us to slow down for a minute and ground ourselves for all the many blessings in our lives. It helps to alleviate wide spread feelings of not being or having enough. Many are deeply scripted in the scarcity mentality rather than the abundance mentality. We avoid the feelings of dissatisfaction and the desire to fill the void by keeping ourselves busy. As such, society has placed such an emphasis on productivity.
Gratitude shifts our focus from what we don’t have, to what we have. Everyday we are surrounded by many gifts and blessings. Gratitude attracts more gifts into our lives. Someone recently said to me, “If you give a gift to someone and they are thankful, are you more likely to give them another gift. As opposed to someone who shows little appreciation?” I don’t know about you but hells yeah, I would be more inclined to give the more appreciative individual a gift.
Gratitude is good for our health and wellbeing. Dr. Emmons’ (2007) book Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier shows that gratitude can increase one’s overall happiness level by 25%. Gratitude is also correlated with increased immune function, stronger relationships, greater creativity and the ability to bounce back faster from adversity.
Gratitude can shift your fundamental belief system. And although initially it may feel contrived, with practice this mental state grows stronger. I recommend cultivating gratitude as a daily practice.
Here are some tips:
– Say thank you. When someone holds the door open for you or the waiter tops off your glass, thank them. Or when you are sitting in your car in traffic, say thank you to your car for taking you to where you need to go.
– Gratitude journal. Have a journal and write down a list of what you are grateful for. Before bed, I reflect on my day and give thanks in my journal.
– At the start of your meditation practice (or you can just sit in a quiet space), during your inhalations, breath in what you are grateful for and hold that feeling in your heart before exhaling.
– Say grace! Before every meal, give thanks for the meal you are about to have.
– Affirmations. Come up with your own affirmation or here is one from the wonderful Louise Hay, “I express gratitude and thanksgiving every day, in every way. Doing so is an important part of my life.”
Do you practice gratitude or wish to cultivate your own gratitude practice? If so, I would love to hear about it.