Gratitude Practice for a Healthy Mind
By Emily Grace
Gratitude practice is a form of reflection where we show thanks and appreciation for the people, places and things in our life that uplift us. Gratitude is a positive and warming emotion which in turn can have many benefits to our mental wellbeing. With the pressures and continuous tasks that the modern world places upon us, it is very easy to power through life without taking a moment to notice and appreciate what we have. We can spend huge amounts of energy on finding that bigger job, chasing that better salary, striving for a bigger social media following, but how would we feel if we just stopped for a minute? Stopped to take a moment to focus on the things that we already have in our life that are wonderful.
Psychology research has shown that the practice of gratitude can help people to feel more positive thoughts and emotions, relish good experiences, develop personal self esteem, deal with adversity, build stronger relationships, aid sleep and increase empathy. Kristin Francis, MD, who is a psychiatrist at Huntsman Mental Health Institute says that expressing gratitude can positively change your brain. She goes on to say that:
"It boosts dopamine and serotonin, the neurotransmitters in the brain that improve your mood immediately, giving you those positive feelings of pleasure, happiness, and well-being”
With this in mind, let’s have a look at how we can best implement gratitude practice into our daily routines:
Ways of Practicing Gratitude
Gratitude Journaling
Writing down on paper a few things that we are grateful for each day is the easiest and most popular gratitude exercise available to us. It only needs to take a few minutes each day, before sleep is always a relaxing time. Here are a few questions we might like to ask ourselves:
What made me laugh or smile today?
Who have I been grateful for today and why?
What relationships am I grateful for?
What’s one thoughtful thing somebody did for me recently?
What have I achieved that I’m proud of?
What little pleasure did I enjoy for myself today?
What part of my personality am I grateful for?
Gratitude jar
This is a really lovely visual way to practice gratitude as well as being a keepsake to look back on. All you need to do is find a jar, however big or small, and begin filling it with notes about all the things you are grateful for. You can set yourself the task of writing 1 - 3 notes each day, depending on what is manageable for you. Once you have written down what you are grateful for, place them in the jar and over time you will build up a collection of amazing reasons to be grateful. If you have moments of feeling down or moments of sadness and you need a quick pick me up, you can read a few notes from the jar to remind yourself of what is good in your life.
Sharing your gratitude
Research has found that expressing and sharing gratitude with the people around you can strengthen relationships and self esteem. So next time you are with a partner, a friend or a family member and they do something that you are grateful for, be sure to tell them and express your thanks.
Gratitude practice is certainly not about choosing to ignore what is difficult in life, it is okay to acknowledge these things. Instead, it is about consciously deciding to dedicate time and attention to what we love, what we appreciate and what is good in our life. In turn creating a feeling of calm, a feeling of awareness and a deeper connection to us, our world and the people around us.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Emily Grace
After working for many years in the corporate world, Emily trained as a holistic health and wellbeing coach, continuing with further education in the field of mindfulness based stressed reduction.
Emily understands from first hand experience how quickly our health can become unbalanced with modern day pressures and demands. She combines her own personal experience, along with her training, to help clients regain balance in both mind and body for optimal health and happiness. She works with both individuals and businesses looking to improve the health of their employees.