Practicing Gratitude

Gratitude is a state of being thankful, appreciative, and kind. Gratitude shifts our perspective from being hyperaware of the “negatives” to appreciating and acknowledging the positives. We can be grateful about the small things as much as we can be grateful about the big things. Nothing is too small to be grateful for!

Research has shown that practicing gratitude has an abundance of different benefits which include:

Reduced stress and anxiety

Increased levels of happiness

Improved physical state

Improved emotional state

Improved sleep

There are various ways to practice gratitude:

1, Keep a gratitude journal

Having a gratitude journal can help us get into the habit of practicing gratitude daily. We can utilize this journal in the morning, in the middle of the day, or at night.

2. Speaking your gratitude out loud

Whether it is when we are waking up, going to bed, on our way to work, or just at a random point in the day, we can stop and acknowledge something that we feel grateful for.

3. Expressing your gratitude to others

Once we get into the habit of practicing gratitude, it will become more natural for us to express our gratitude to others. This can be a verbal form of gratitude, or it can be in a form of a letter or a gift.

4. Remember nothing is too small to be grateful for

While practicing gratitude, it is important to remember that there is nothing that is too small to be grateful for. We oftentimes get into the habit of only practicing grateful for the bigger things, and can feel stuck when it feels that there is “nothing big” to be grateful for.