We all know that feeling grateful feels good. Right? It is more than that! We care about aging well, with vitality and wellness. Well, gratitude can play a big part in that.
According to Positive Psychology, research shows that benefits of gratitude for us include:
- increased happiness and positive mood
- more satisfaction with life
- less materialism
- less likely to experience burnout
- better physical health
- better sleep
- less fatigue
- lower levels of cellular inflammation
- greater resiliency
- encourages the development of patience, humility, and wisdom
How can you make gratitude a part of your life?
Gratitude as an Everyday Practice
I am sure you have read about keeping a gratitude journal. It is a wonderful and beneficial practice. If you are anything like me, the consistent journaling will last less than a week! So, what can we do to make gratitude a part of our everyday life?
Eckhart Tolle says that “If the only prayer you say is thank you, that is enough.” So, I say thank you a lot! In my everyday noticing, I find moments for a quick “thank you.” I am thankful for my health, my friends, my family, my love, my home, my freedom, and for the opportunity in my life.
This is not a ritual that requires I do something special at a certain time, it is just a habit of noticing from the perspective of gratitude.
To develop this habit, you may want to have a time that you allow yourself to note all the things for which you are grateful. Eventually, it will become a part of how you see your life. I do this on my walk and my heart fills with joy. What I notice is that little moments of gratitude just pop up on their own now.
Gratitude in Advance
I write a lot about creating from your inner wise self. One of the supporting practices is to feel yourself as the woman living the life you desire. Here is where gratitude can serve you as you hold your vision for what you are creating.
The key is to be grateful for what you desire as though you are already in that life. For example, I felt my gratitude for being in love over a year before I met my fiancé. Now I get to get grateful in real time with him!
This is where the use of a gratitude tree comes into play. I admit that sometimes holding and believing that my vision is becoming reality was a challenge. Of course, there are days where it is easy and some days not so much. So, I went to visit my special gratitude tree every day when I went for my walk.
I touched the bark, looked at its strong limbs, smelled its tree smell. Somehow, the tree believed with me, standing strong and true. What seemed like a very long time to me was short in “tree time.” My love has even met my tree.
What Is Your Gratitude Tree?
We each have daily rituals. One of mine is walking. What are yours? Choose a daily ritual that includes an opportunity to pause. Perhaps your walk, or shower, or drive to work. Perhaps it is sitting in your special chair or a lovely view from a window. Whatever you choose, make it your special place to feel gratitude.
You can do nothing more than say “Thank you” and feel it in your heart area. Take a moment to know that your desires are already there, poised to be a part of your life. It is your moment to believe, to know, to trust.
What is your gratitude practice? What do you do each day where you can take a moment to be grateful?
Allow gratitude to be a part of your life. You will love it!
How do you practice gratitude? What are you grateful for in your life? Have you ever been grateful for something that isn’t a part of your life yet?
