We've all heard it but what does it mean?
“It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” - David Steindl-Rast
Everyone seems to be talking about it lately. It's one of those social media, wellness, self-care, and mental health buzzword phrases we keep hearing. We are seeing it in schools and businesses as well. But what is an 'attitude of gratitude?'
An attitude of gratitude is making the conscious habit of expressing appreciation on a regular basis for people and things in your life that you appreciate or should appreciate. Making it a conscious habit to be grateful for the big and small things in our lives means taking a moment to step back each day and have a daily practice where we don't just recognize but also take a moment to consider how we are blessed or thankful to have what we have. We may be grateful for our relationships, health, business, material items, the food on our table, our home, and our overall sense of well-being. Being grateful for what we have as a daily habit shifts our focus from what we don't have and the feeling of lack to what we do have and a feeling of abundance.
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them." John F. Kennedy
How living with gratitude can impact our lives
Living with an attitude of gratitude can impact our lives emotionally, physically, psychologically, and interpersonally. When we begin to practice gratitude we see a shift in these areas the more regularly we practice it. Emotionally we begin to experience greater optimism and joy. We find that we can be more empathetic and compassionate with less envy or depression. Our resiliency in regards to stress increases and we begin to have a greater appreciation for life.
Physically we begin to appreciate the things we can do with our bodies. We exercise more frequently because we view it as a celebration of what we can do, not a punishment for what we ate. We begin to eat better, see our immune system get stronger, and have fewer physical complaints as a result. And we are able to enjoy the residual benefits of better sleep and lower stress hormones which mean fewer stress-related illnesses like high blood pressure, anxiety, and migraines.
Practicing gratitude can also have psychological benefits. We begin to see greater success with goals, increased awareness of negative thoughts and the ability to reframe them, and a decreased interest in materialism. We become less judgemental and more open-minded. While interpersonally we find we have more satisfying relationships, greater connectedness, and emotional bonding when we express gratitude to others, we are more generous, helpful, and display kind behaviors and we feel less loneliness and isolation as a result.
The key is to make it a daily practice
““Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Anonymous.
If we truly want to develop an attitude of gratitude we need to make it a daily habit. To truly be grateful and thankful for everything we appreciate in life making a gratitude practice a daily habit or routine is the best way to reach that objective. When we express appreciation, what we appreciate grows and increases in value. So a daily practice not only makes it a regular part of our lives but also helps what we appreciate to grow and increase more regularly. Practicing gratitude toward our relationships, work, health, home, and mindset makes these things more important to us. It shifts our focus from the things we do not have and helps us see what we have to appreciate.
When making a gratitude practice a habit it's best to choose a routine time for your practice. The longer we do this routine the more we start to practice gratitude in all areas of our lives and in turn we choose to spend our time and energy on what we are most thankful for. If we can implement our gratitude practice into our morning routine the likelihood that we will go through our day with gratitude increases. But if you cannot do it in the morning that's ok. The point is to incorporate a gratitude practice into your daily habit no matter when it is as long as it is daily.
Ways to practice gratitude every day:
There are many different ways you can make gratitude a regular practice in your everyday life. Here are a few I have tried and liked. I try to incorporate at least a few of them on a regular basis. Try a few of my suggestions or check out the links to other ideas in the next section.
Gratitude journal ~ There are lots of choices for gratitude journals. You can choose one from the many offered online or simply use a notebook you buy at staples. I like to use something pretty. A marble or spiral notebook works for some people but I like a journal-style notebook with an inspirational quote on the front or a journal made specifically for gratitude. In the simplest of forms, a gratitude journal can be just writing a list of 3-5 things you appreciate each day. Or you can use a format like Rachel Hollis does in her Start Today Journal or create your own where you incorporate goals with gratitude. The point is to find something that works for you and do it every day.
Remember where you came from ~ Sometimes looking back at a time in our lives when things were not so great makes it easier to see what we have to appreciate. You can incorporate this into your journal practice or just use it as a verbal gratitude practice where you think about the past event or time and then say out loud 3 things that you now are grateful for that did not exist in the past time.
Gratitude prompts ~ There are a ton of gratitude prompts online. If listing 3-5 things in a journal is not enough for you or is not working for you then gratitude prompts may be just the thing for you.
Spread the love ~ When we express gratitude to someone in our life it can improve our relationship with that person. When someone does something you appreciate make sure you tell them. You can also do this with family and children by incorporating something creative like a gratitude tree, gratitude rocks, or a gratitude jar in your household. Then whenever someone in the family does something that a family member appreciates it goes on the tree, rock, or in the jar. The goal would be to fill the tree, rock garden, or jar with appreciation. A visual reminder of how much we appreciate what the people in our lives do for us.
Daily affirmations ~ Daily affirmations can be a great reminder of the good in our lives. I have a stack of affirmation cards. Sometimes I randomly choose a card and write about how it resonates in my life. Sometimes I pick a specific card and say out loud how the affirmation applies to my life.
Have a morning routine ~ Incorporating gratitude practices into a routine we already have makes it more likely to become a habit.
Ground yourself ~ Once gratitude practices become a daily habit we start to look for things we appreciate throughout the day. But even the best of us have a hard time at times. When I find myself getting distracted and it is hard to be intentional and grateful I ground myself by doing something physical. For example, to remind me that I am grateful for my family I intentionally give them each a hug each morning and evening.
Try meditation ~ Guided meditation for gratitude can help us become more aware of what we have to be grateful for. Meditation does not work for everyone but if you use meditation or have wanted to try meditation I recommend searching for a guided meditation for gratitude. (see one below)
Gratitude resources
There are so many different gratitude practices online and in bookstores. Here are a few that I like:
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