Gratitude- The Why’s, How’s and When’s

Let me ask you a question? What are you grateful for today? Depending on the day, the answer will vary. Sometimes we will have loads to be grateful for and then other days we might need to dig deep to find something. But… practicing gratitude, even on the bad days is so important and beneficial to our life as a whole. Let me explain why.

We all know I love and trust in the Universe 100% right? ‘What you give out, you get back’ is a regular rambling of mine. But it’s true. Our actions, our language and our thoughts are our way of communicating with the universe and letting it know just what we want from life.

Take this to another level. If you are actively grateful every day guess what will happen? Yep, the universe will give you more to be grateful for. It’s that simple.

The Why’s – The Benefits of practicing gratitude

• Overall, you simply feel better. How could you not!! Focusing on the positives will most definitely not make you feel worse
• As I said before, the more you are grateful for , the more good you will receive
• You naturally become more enthusiastic about life
• Being grateful automatically places you in the present. This will make you feel less anxious about past or future events
• You will feel a sense of achievement and purpose giving you an internal strength that, when nurtured becomes unbreakable

There is lots of scientific research which states that practicing gratitude can have considerable physical health benefits. I would definitely believe this as when practiced for a period of time you will genuinely notice a massive shift in your mind set which will help eliminate stress and anxiety. We all know the impact these two can have on our physical health as well as our mental health.

Practicing gratitude fills my heart with so much joy. It can shift us from a scarcity mind set to a feeling of abundance, love and happiness within a very short space of time. I can’t think of one thing in the material world that can do that for us. Can you?

The How’s

Like everything. The How’s are up to you. There is no right or wrong way to practice gratitude. Here are some of the ways I have found most effective.

Simply saying thank you can have a massive impact on your mind set. Becoming aware of small positives in your daily life and saying thank you to yourself, a stranger or the universe for something is a really powerful starting point.

Take a few minutes each day to write down some things you are grateful for. This can be done in a notebook, a journal or even in your phone. Find what works for you and the rest will flow.

If you struggle to think of things you are grateful for here are a few questions which might help guide you.

• What or who made you feel joy today?
• Did you do something (even something small) today that is part of a bigger goal of yours?
• Did you do something you are proud of today?
• What or Who made you feel a sense of achievement today?
• Did someone do something nice for you today?
• Did you do something nice for someone today?

Or, you can simply just write down some things you feel grateful for. Don’t forget the small things (we often ignore) like electricity, water, food. The list is endless.

I usually find three things each day to be grateful for. I would encourage you to try not repeat the points day in day out. Try find something new. If you are just having one of those days when you simply cannot think of something nice to say. Then give yourself permission to look back over your previous months and find something that is relevant for today. You will be surprised how quickly your mind will switch.

I also would encourage you to keep your daily writings in the same place. Having them all in the one place is a beautiful thing to look back on.

I love to use a gratitude journal. It keeps everything in one place and is also full of inspirational quotes and will give you guidance if you struggle with the practice. My favourite to date is this one from The Happy Books Hub but I have recently received The Head Plan journal and this also has a place in the daily goals section for gratitude.

The When’s

Again, when you practice is up to you. If you do this last thing at night it is a lovely way to reflect on your day and to go to sleep feeling content and happy. This will help you wake the next morning with a full heart.

If you practice in the morning you will hold this beautiful strength with you throughout your day.

It really does depend on you. Find a time that you feel works for you and stick with that. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

I really hope you found this post beneficial. This is all based on my own experience and practices I have incorporated into my daily life.

Please feel free to leave your comments, suggestions or experiences below. We can all learn from each other.

For more post like this you can check some other posts from me here.

Have a great day

Anita xxx