Start a gratitude practice!
Our modern life puts a lot of demands on our time and attention. Many things happen to us every day. Unfortunately, not all of them good. We often find ourselves at the end of the day feeling exhausted and upset, going over a list of all the things that went wrong.
What to do then to feel better? Shall we go for an easy fix? Overeating, overdrinking or overindulging on any other thing that will take our mind away from our problems?
Gratitude, when experienced as a daily practice, can help us deal better with the complications of every day life, make us more resilient, and make us feel peaceful happiness.
“Gratitude is not only the greatest one, but also the mother of all the other remaining virtues” – Cicero
Through history, philosophers and religious leaders around the world have promoted the virtue of gratitude. In more recent years, science has demonstrated that gratitude has a profound impact on our well being.
Gratitude is the key to true happiness. It is impossible to be grateful and angry at the same time. Therefore, a gratitude practice can decrease the levels of anger and resentment and provide peace and joy.
This is the practice that I recommend:
- Reserve 5 minutes in the morning (before checking your phone, your email or the news). Get yourself a gratitude journal (a notebook or notepad). Write on the journal 3 things that you are grateful for that day. Some days, especially if you are feeling angry or sorry for yourself, it will be extremely difficult. However, there is always something to be grateful for. These are some examples:
- You woke up and didn’t die on your sleep
- You had a good night sleep
- You have a comfortable bed
- You have running water
- The sun is shining
- You have a roof over your head
- You live on the age of internet and unlimited information is available to you. It’s like magic!
- You have an opportunity today to do better than yesterday
- Reserve 10 minutes at night before going to sleep. Get your gratitude journal and write down 3 good things that happened to you during the day. Again, it may be difficult, but you can always find good things if you look for them. These are some examples:
- You had a fantastic shower in the morning and felt energized
- Somebody smiled at you at the street
- The cashier at the supermarket was nice to you
- You went for a walk and breathed fresh air
- You followed your plan for the day and feel accomplished
- Somebody helped you today
- You saw kids playing at the park and smiled with them
For both exercises list different things every day.
If you really commit to this practice, you will soon notice that you start looking for good things around you. Instead of only acknowledging the bad things that happen to you, you will be looking for those small good things that happen to you, because you have to report them on your journal.
Give it a try. In a short time, you will be more grounded, calmer and happier.
