About being gratreful.

Gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a beautiful and powerful tool. Being grateful for the little things in our day can have a profound effect on the way we look at the big picture. When we focus on the things that make us truly happy in the now, an overall sense of wellbeing takes over us.

Since the advent of positive psychology (also known as the science of happiness), a lot of research  has been done on gratitude and how it can positively affect our mood (for the science nerds-or skeptics-, one of the numerous studies can be found here)

“Gratitude can lead to feelings of love, appreciation, generosity, and compassion, which further open our hearts and help rewire our brains to fire in more positive ways.” ― Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D. (clinical psychologist).

So what is this gratitude thing anyway? If our life is not exactly awesome right now, how can we be grateful?

 Right now, I am grateful.

Before you get up in the morning, give yourself a moment to stretch in bed, wiggle your toes, take a big breath and think happy thoughts [Peter Pan really had a good thing going]

Keep a “Gratitude Journal” where 4 times a week, you write some­thing you feel grate­ful for.

Chose a day of the month, say the first Sunday of every month. Take a couple of minutes to review your progress. If you keep a food journal, flip through the last few months of your meals. Notice changes to your choices, moments of strength, and the evolution of your journey to getting to know yourself.

After reviewing your progress, write a “Gratitude Letter” to yourself where you thank yourself for the steps you’ve taken to improve your well-being. Place it in your gratitude journal and go to it in a time of defeat or struggle.

In a moment of defeat, when you feel overwhelmed with feelings of insufficiency, switch the record and begin to note things that you have accomplished and  are grateful for.

Before falling asleep, review your day beginning from the evening and working your way backwards. Once you’ve reviewed your entire day; ending with the moment you woke up, take a second to be thankful for the positive things you’ve experienced. After this, let your day go. [You many find you even sleep better as a result!]

It’s a funny thing about life,
Once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for,
You begin to lose sight of the things that you lack..

Germany Kent 🌻