It’s often easier to remember the bad experiences in life, than the good. When unfortunate things happen, we can have a tendency to invest significant energy in thinking about what’s gone wrong. Increasing our experience and depth of gratitude can balance out many negativities we hold on to. When good thoughts, memories, and feelings occupy our minds, we subsequently receive numerous positive benefits and opportunities.
Genuinely feeling grateful in your heart and choosing to articulate it through your words and actions will enable you to grow beyond your self-imposed limitations, put your problems into perspective, keep you grounded, and encourage you to nurture the people you love.
Journaling is an intellectual exercise that helps you to contemplate what you have in your life. Yet, in order for gratitude to truly transform your life and heal you from within, you must authentically feel grateful right from the core of your being. Take immense pleasure out of your daily practice until it lifts your spirits, heals you, and brings you to a higher consciousness.
What happens when you are grateful?
By practicing gratitude, you can enjoy life more because you appreciate all the miracles you’ve been blessed with. There’s something comforting in realizing that the moments you’re actually grateful for each day are free.
Grateful people report fewer symptoms of discomfort because they have a zest for life and understand the advantages of a healthy lifestyle. They are less lonely, stressed, anxious, and depressed. People with a high level of gratitude often feel an emotional sense of wonder and appreciation for life.
By being grateful, you transform your thought process to view your day with more optimism. You focus on what worked well and healthy ways to alter any negative situations, so you can avoid harmful, self-defeating thinking. Essentially, you actively create your life by choosing what you focus your energy on and how you want to respond to it.
Gratitude is a deep, genuine sense of appreciation that touches you and uplifts your emotions.
You can be grateful for all things in your life, big and small. One of the advantages of appreciating the little things, even the limited things, you have, is that you will attract more of it to you. The Law of Increase states that praise changes your perception and the outcome of your circumstances. The more you praise something, the more confidence you give it; and as confidence grows, so does abundance.
You can appreciate the air you breathe, clean water, the neighborhood you live in, public transport, playing in a sprinkler on a hot sunny day, and the many privileges that you can share with others.
Journaling will help you identify everything that you enjoy in life; but to get the most out of your gratitude, you must look at each and every single item/person/situation and consider what it means to you, what life would be like without it, and why you truly appreciate it.
When you fill yourself up with appreciation, it changes how you feel, alters the actions you take and the results you create, allows you to see the beauty and uniqueness in all things, and enables you to experience a sense of timelessness and connection to a higher source -- the universal energy of love.
Practice Gratitude when you need to escape life’s pressures.
Gratitude doesn’t mean that you ignore your problems; nor does it imply that anything going wrong in your life is unimportant. But sometimes we need a rest, both emotionally and mentally, to aid us in gathering the energy and courage to keep going, especially when we feel close to crumbling or giving up.
When you can’t seem to find your way out of a difficult situation and are desperate for an emotional reprieve to boost your energy enough to make it through to a resolution, you can find solace in practicing gratitude for the lessons learned in the challenges you face and what you will gain from seeing it to the end.
Being grateful, in the midst of chaos, can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed. If you’re unable to look at your current situation objectively to recognize the blessings you’re receiving, step away from it and focus your gratitude on other areas of your life.
Acknowledge abundance through gratitude; it exists all around us, all the time.
Instead of being afraid or pushing away the reality that every situation holds a blessing, you could embrace it as a gift of abundance and change how you feel when faced with challenges.
When you choose to acknowledge blessings (even when things don’t go exactly as you’d like them to), you open yourself to the flow of infinite Universal energy. If you resist by holding on or holding back, fearing that you don’t or won’t have enough, you delay this flow.
When you start looking for abundance, by seeing the ‘glass half full’ and bypassing your perceived lack, it appears everywhere. Although you may feel you have little to spare or share, generously offering the love in your heart, contributing time for service, or lending a listening ear to someone who needs support will give purpose to anyone’s life. As you expand the love in your heart by giving freely and being genuinely grateful, you receive even more in return.
Practice Active Gratitude with these 5 rewarding steps.
Step 1: Rise and Shine
Create a rejuvenating morning ritual by getting up 30 minutes earlier than normal, and taking advantage of the tranquillity around you. Enjoy the peaceful time by meditating, reading, reflecting, exercising, or just consciously breathing.
The earlier you’re able to wake, the more you eliminate the chaos of rushing around to get out the door. Getting up early allows you time to welcome the sunrise and soak in its energy. You can also make time for a healthier breakfast instead of a bar on the go or skipping your meal altogether.
Step 2: Greet the day
The moment you open your eyes, let your first thought be of thankfulness for being alive, for a fresh, new day, and an opportunity to try again.
Before you rush for the coffee, drink 16oz (500mL) of water first. While you sleep, your body slowly becomes dehydrated because it needs fluid to operate. Water fires up your metabolism, hydrates you, helps your body flush out toxins, and gives your brain fuel.
Step 3: Active Gratitude
Continue expressing gratitude through your entire morning ritual. Give thanks for your legs to get you out of bed, thank your bed for allowing you to sleep comfortably, and give thanks for the warmth in your home. When you go to the bathroom, be grateful for everything you use, and don’t forget to take a moment to look into the mirror to thank You -- show yourself some love and admiration! As you get dressed, be thankful for your clothes and that they’re clean and fit you well. During your peaceful quietude, give thanks for those things you have chosen to do to rejuvenate yourself. Spend your morning in Active Gratitude saying, “Thank You” to everything you see and touch.
When you’re ready for the day, journal 10 things that you normally take for granted and express why you’re grateful for these things. How do they make life easier for you? What would it be like without them?
Step 4: Set your intention for the day
Think about the day you are about to have. Are you working, is this a leisure day, do you have somewhere you need to go? Whatever you have planned, start your day off right.
First, consider your most pertinent life question for the day ahead, and then, choose 3 things that would make today great. Your current question could be as simple as, “What are we having for supper tonight?” or, it could be more serious such as, “Should I submit this proposal to my boss?” or “Who can help me with this difficult issue?”
Be alert to any coincidences, messages, or intuition you have throughout the day that relate to your question. For the simple ones, maybe you see a flyer of a new restaurant you’ve wanted to visit; the more serious questions may take longer to answer to so we must stay in a highly expectant state. If you stay aware, observing any signs that seem to be beckoning you to a certain direction, a combination of emotional charge and vivid imaging will stimulate the ability to attract what you desire.
Step 5: Morning Energizing Visualization
Before you leave the house, take a few deep breaths. Visualize yourself in a beautiful place. Breathe in the beauty; imagine the smells and how it feels being there. Keep breathing and visualizing until you feel the energy of your beautiful place deep inside filling you up and expanding all around you. Now state your current life question and surround it with that energy. Try to stay connected to this loving feeling all day.
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