Give a little ‘Gratitude’
Gratitude is taking a few moments out of your ‘day to day’ and giving thanks for ALL that you DO have, and believe me, when you look at all that you do have, it is in fact quite a lot!
Here are some handy tips on ways you can give thanks every day which in turn will bring many rewards: happiness, satisfaction, humility, gratitude, thankfulness, pride to only name but a few.
Time Out: Take a few moments to be in silence, whether you call it prayer, meditation, mindfulness - the aim is to quieten the mind, turn within, become in sync with your breathing, relaxing your whole body from head to toe (doesn’t matter if you stand, sit or lie down). Do this a few times, for just a few moments throughout the day.
Start or write in your journal: get into the habit of writing at least 3 things that your are grateful about. Here are some ideas to get you started: health, family, friends, home, clean water, food to eat, car, job, garden, park, sea, river, birds and bees, children, pets etc. Journalling is a great way to ‘talk to yourself’, keep track of your thoughts, express yourself without any judgement as well as to keep track of where you are now and any progress, developments you have made or areas needed for more focus and improvement.
Thank you letter: writing has now become an age old tradition which we no longer practice (except on our computers, phones etc). Take a nice piece of paper or card and write a thank you note a) to yourself - acknowledging all that you do in a day either for yourself and / or for others b) to another, whomever they may be acknowledging something good in them that you value. This is such a humble and inspirational act that both you and the other party will be so grateful and happy about.
Take a walk: go out and enjoy the fresh open air, taking in deep breaths, taking in the nature, taking in the sounds and giving thanks to the universe for all that it provides you. This is such a healing activity, not only for the body (gets the body, heart & lungs active), it is great for your mental health!
Make a nice home made meal from scratch: take time out to plan your meal(s), shop for the ingredients, prepare the meal, cook it in a calm peaceful environment, put some soft music on in the background, light a candle in your dining area, sit down with no other distractions and enjoy your meal, taking in the smells, colours, textures and beauty in all that you are about to enjoy and most of all, giving thanks for having food to eat! If you are eating with others, take a few moments for everyone to share ‘one thing’ that they are thankful and grateful for, whether it is the food they are about to enjoy, the company, or something that has happened during the day.
Start a Gratitude Jar: using an old jam/food jar, mark and decorate it how you like and leave it somewhere you have access to and can see daily. Next to the jar, leave a pen and some sheets of paper/notebook and when the mood takes you, write something you are ‘Grateful’ for and put it in the jar. This is a great activity to do whether you live on your own, with friends or with family, as you can all get involved. Then once a month, or perhaps when you or someone in the family isn’t having a great day, you can pick out a piece and read it out loud with the aim of realising so many things we have in life to be grateful about. This is a great activity to also practice in the workplace!
Grat-i-tude (noun)
- the feeling of being thankful
- readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness!
