Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash
What’s Gratitude?
The first definition to show up in my browser tells me that gratitude is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness”.
Gratitude is much more than that! It is one of the most powerful and transforming feelings out there. Feelings are much stronger than logic and allowing yourself experience gratitude can shift any low mood, intruding thoughts and can magically transform you back to the here and now. And no, I am not talking about forcing yourself to find something good in a bad situation or denying yourself an authentic reaction to something difficult that is happening. I am talking about and what I intend showing you, is very simple and real and despite its simplicity, can have a great healing effect on you.
Gratitude Journal Journey.
I first fully realized the power of gratitude when I started a gratitude journal. It was simple; at the end of the day before sleeping, I committed to writing a few sentences on what I was grateful for that day. And even if I was in a hurry (to sleep) I would just list a few things in bullet points and be done with it. My objective was to train my brain on seeing life from a different, more supportive perspective. I discovered many important things during this process as listed below:
- Describing the things, I’m grateful for in FULL SENTENCES, as opposed to just listing them quickly, helped me to really tap into FEELING all this goodness that surrounds me.
- It’s all about how my ‘’gratitude items’’ are making me feel rather than how big or spectacular they are, which is great because I do not depend on anything to happen to be able to lift myself up.
- By repeating this practice of simply dedicating a moment of my time & focusing my attention on finding even the little things that make me feel good, I am now able to automatically and effortlessly find what feels good in any situation.
- After journaling like this for about 6 months I stopped as I noticed I did not need to continue writing things down. I am just automatically “looking for” things I am grateful for.
- This new habit helped me to deal much better with challenging situations. I am able to shift my attention much quicker to the positive aspects of my life and significantly reduce the time spent dwelling on things I am not happy with and I do not have control over.
Gratitude Scavenger Hunt Time.
Today I would like to invite you to do a short and simple exercise with me. It can be used when you feel low, as it will immediately help you to come back to the present moment and feel better. It can also be used as a daily practice to completely change your way of thinking! Remember, time and attention are some of the most valuable things we can give. Give a bit of it to yourself today. You deserve it.
Are You Ready?
I will be giving you small clues and cues and it will be your task to follow them and find the most authentic but at the same time supportive answers and keep digging for more. Try to be as descriptive as you can and do not rush. You do not need to write it down but it might help. Focus on evoking positive feelings and sensations and effortlessly go with the flow. I will be doing the exercise with you, so you can sneak a peek if you feel unsure about what to do.
Let’s Go!
Step 1: Look around you and notice where you are. Are you safe? Are you comfortable? What’s the temperature like? Take a nice deep breath in, maybe the deepest you have taken today so far. Exhale slowly and feel your body weight resting against something you sit/lie on. How does it feel?
Step 2: Pay attention to your surroundings and pick one object that you really like and describe it. Think of why you like it. What is it? Do you appreciate it because of the way it looks? Is it because it is useful? Is it because of the good memories it evokes?
My step 1: I am on my own in my living room full of my favorite things. The ray of light is falling on my beautiful plants, making some of the green leaves look lighter than the others. How pretty! The window is open and it’s quite chilly, but the air I am breathing in is fresh and nice. I decide to grab a blanket to feel warmer, how comfy to have this blanket wrapped around me. My hands are dry. I have two healthy hands that can write and grab things… do all these amazing things I love doing! I apply a lovely smelling hand cream and I massage it in with intention and care. Immediately the feeling of dryness is replaced by a pleasant smoothness. I am sitting on my newly acquired office chair; how comfortable it is! And it makes me feel quite professional. So glad I bought it! This is cool. I can be comfortable working from home!
My step 2: I have so many great objects around me. How am I supposed to focus on only one! How lucky I am to have such a dilemma! I look at my desk and straightaway I see something I really like. My favorite pens. They are in the color of gold. It feels so good to write with them and they come in a pretty case. I like to carry it with me everywhere. Pretty and practical at the same time! They make writing notes even more pleasant. This set was a birthday gift from my best friend. How thoughtful of her! It makes me feel so special. She knows me so well and chose a perfect gift for me. This Christmas she got me a really beautiful business card case. How nice to have a friend like this! I am proud to remember that I got her some excellent gifts she really enjoyed too. That reminds me of all the amazing gifts we got each other over the years and it makes me feel so grateful and happy. And that reminds me of all the friends I have and all the good things that came into my life. Not only the presents I have received but also the great experiences we shared and we are going to share. And it’s not only my friends that are good to me as I just remembered how kind it was of a driver who stopped for me this morning so I can cross safely…
Reflect.
How was this experience for you? Notice how you feel. Did you let yourself flow from one thing to another? Can you see how focusing on the things you are grateful for makes you notice even more of them? Can you see how practicing gratitude can make you feel relaxed and improve your mood?
I would love to hear about your experience in the comments.