Simple Ways to Practice Gratitude Daily

Stress refers to the body’s response to a challenge or demand. From minor roadblocks in our day-to-day activities to major life changes, feeling stress is common for many of us and can have a serious impact. As life can become quickly overwhelming, allowing time in our day to practice gratitude is a simple way to take care of our health.

Gratitude takes practice. With a few minor adjustments to our routines and bringing attention to different patterns, practicing gratitude can result in major benefits like improving mental health and boosting relationships with others. Noticing small wins over time can strengthen what we feel grateful for. Professor, scientist, writer, and meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn said, “The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.” Little moments of gratitude have the ability to change the quality of our entire day. Here are a few simple ways to begin practicing gratitude:

Keep a Journal

Many of us feel the bulk of our stress when we first wake up in the morning and right before we fall asleep at night. Making a list of a few things we are grateful for can remind us of positives and the things we enjoy most. This can include recalling ordinary events, personal attributes, or people that have made a positive impact. This will help to build a recurring theme of gratefulness in our lives.

Meditate

Meditation is all about relaxing, centering ourselves, and becoming present. Meditating can allow us to live in the moment and be grateful for where we currently are, rather than holding onto worry and fear about past and future events. If you prefer not to sit quietly, consider taking a walk or trying a guided meditation.

Move Your Body

When thinking about what we are grateful for, we often first think of material items we own or special people in our lives, however, it is important to also think of ourselves. Caring for our bodies is one of the best ways to practice gratitude. Walking, jogging, fitness classes, riding a bike, stretching, and other physical activities can allow us to feel thankful for all that our bodies are capable of. We so often focus on what we do not like about our bodies and movement can allow us to feel gratitude for our health.

Spend Time with Loved Ones

Spending quality time with those closest to us is important in feeling gratitude towards the support we have in our lives. Whether you are able to see loved ones in person, or find time to chat over the phone, speaking with the people we love can help us feel grateful that they are in our lives.

Spend Time with Loved Ones

We frequently use grateful motions like smiling and saying thank you as we move through our day, but we rarely think about the deeper meaning behind these motions. From a stranger holding a door open for you to a server taking care of your table at a restaurant, stopping to think about why we are grateful for these acts can make us feel seen and valued, resulting in an increase of positivity.

Make Time for Yourself

We often overbook and overplan in an attempt to please others, resulting in a lack of power and feeling out of control. It is important to take a look at our responsibilities and make changes if our tasks are not making us happy. It is okay to say no if you do not have the bandwidth and to stop doing things that no longer bring you joy. This can be challenging and uncomfortable, but ultimately life changing.

Use Your Senses

We use our senses every day, but stopping to think about our ability to touch, see, smell, taste, and hear, can help us gain a deeper appreciation of the human body and all that we are able to do.

While feeling grateful can make us happy, being happy can also allow us to feel grateful. Finding our own ways to achieve happiness and reduce stress can allow our endorphins to flow and create an ease of gratitude.