PRACTICING GRATITUDE

Did you know November is National Gratitude Month?

I heard something about this the other day and when I looked it up using that magic bar called Google, I found out November was indeed officially declared National Gratitude Month in 2015, in both the U.S. and Canada!

I'm going to be honest. There was a period of time, several years ago, the word "Gratitude" was beginning to feel over used, and so cliche to me. I found myself dismissing it whenever I heard the word.

That was until I was introduced to the practice of gratitude.

Practicing Gratitude begins with paying attention and noticing all the good things that exist around you that you might normally take for granted.

Some examples:

~Upon waking up, did you sleep well? Maybe you didn't sleep well, but perhaps you were, and are warm and cozy under your covers.

~Have you noticed how the sun comes through the window and casts a ray of light on the floor that creates a moment of peace for you?

~What about the sound of the leaves underfoot on a cool, autumn day?

~Or perhaps there was a kind word or smile that someone in your family, at the store, or even a stranger you passed on the street, offered you?

When these, seemingly little, things are noticed and brought up as blessings alongside the difficult and challenging moments in life, they can help us move our attention and emotions from feelings of despair and discouragement, towards hope and encouragement.

This "practice" involves not only noticing the little things, but includes acknowledging how it makes us feel, and why it makes us feel that way thus allowing us to be truly thankful for its presence in our life.

Doing this connects the external blessing to us internally, and can literally make us FEEL better, hopeful, and overall more optimistic about our day, even the week we have ahead of us.

I'll use a gratitude I've written before in my own journal to show how this can look:

Start with stating something you are grateful for: Take a moment and look around. Find something that might normally seem ordinary and generally be overlooked that you can be grateful for.

Example: I am grateful for my first hot cup of coffee in the morning.

2. Express the emotion around the gratitude: Why are you grateful for it? This might take some time and thought at first, but come up with why you might be grateful for this “something”. Expressing why are you grateful for (xyz), and conjuring up the emotion helps create meaning around the gratitude. Doing this also magnifies the significance of the goodness in your life, no matter how small it may seem.

Tip: Do this by adding "because" after your statement and then state how it makes you feel.

Example: I am so grateful for my first hot cup of coffee in the morning because I love the warmth on my hands as I hold the mug and the smell of the coffee just before I take my fist sip. It makes me feel cozy, happy and ready to start my day. I am so grateful.

3. Say ‘Thank you: After saying what you are grateful for, why you are grateful for it, and how it makes you feel, say "Thank you". Some gratitude researchers encourage saying '“Thank You” 3 times to solidify and increase the connection to the gratitude. This may feel silly at first, however, the act of saying thank you not only solidifies the gratitude and the emotion within you, it actually increases your desire to pay that feeling of gratitude outwardly to others around you.

THUS SPREADING GRATITUDE ❤️

How cool is that??

Not sure about the Thank you, part? There is no right or wrong way to say thank you. In fact, there are many ways you can do so.

You can say "thank you" for things/people/situations/organizations you are grateful for by:

~Writing in your journal. (I journal daily and this is definitely something I do each morning).

~Sending a note or card to someone to the person you are grateful for.

~Want to make it quicker than Snail Mail? Send an email, text message or voice mail to express your gratitude.

~Simply share your gratitude on your social media and spread the good feelings to your friends and those who follow you.

You may be thinking, “How am I supposed to be grateful, when I am so overwhelmed, busy, and quite frankly? Who has time this practice"

I hear you.
It’s not always easy, but I one thing I can promise you, the practice of gratitude will be, and is worth it.

A couple of things that might help:

1. It only takes a few minutes, or maybe 5. Can you find 5 minutes in your day somewhere?

2. It's also about getting into the habit of practicing gratitude. The hardest part, is remembering to practice it in the first place. Can you give yourself a reminder of some sort? Maybe set an alarm, or stick a post it note on your mirror with “Gratitude” written on it?

I realize creating a habit can feel like a CHORE, but it doesn't have to be. Start small.

Over the next 3-5 days, right when you wake up and before getting out of bed, pause for a moment and try what I've outlined for you above.

~Think of something you can be grateful for. Look around the room. Think about your body, how does it feel? Or maybe something about the day you’re about to get up for. Shoot, it could even be the fact you get to get up for another day! Doesn't matter how small it may seem. Find something.

~State your gratitude about it.

~State why are you grateful for it and how it makes you feel. Remember. It doesn’t have to be a HUGE thing. Small things mean more than you know!

~Say thank you for the blessing you are grateful for. To yourself, in your journal, the person you thought of… just say Thank you!

BONUS TIP…sit with that gratitude for as long as you can. 10, 15 or 20 seconds is really all it takes for that feeling of gratitude to settle in start to take hold within you.

Let me know this goes for you! I’d be curious to hear how much more joy you find within yourself and around you throughout your days once this practice sets in.