Mindful Gratitude Practice
Gratitude practice is the simple act of being thankful for the good in our lives. To begin this Mindfulness Exercise, you might pause for a few slow, deep breaths, letting some of the clutter settle. Then you can bring kind awareness to the following questions:
- What made you choose this particular topic? What drew you to it? What do you hope to gain from it?
- How do you feel when reflecting on the topic of gratitude? You might tune in to your belly, chest, and head, noticing how each part feels individually and how you feel as a whole.
- When you reflect on these bodily feelings, what emotions do you associate with them? Are they positive or negative? Can they be categorized clearly, or are they more complex? How do you feel about these emotions themselves? How is the way you feel about the emotions different from the emotions themselves?
- What stories do you currently believe about this topic? What impact are these stories having on your life? What effect, positive or negative, might they have on your practicing this exercise now?
- You might reflect back on everything that has just passed through your mind, acknowledging the centering, the distracting, the positive, and the negative. Many other people feel much the same way you do about this topic. How does that awareness make you feel?
- Consider what it will be like when you have completed this exercise. How might your increased awareness around gratitude feel? What impact might it have on your life?
- Finally, consider how you might bring more mindfulness to gratitude in your daily life.
A Daily Gratitude Practice
The worksheet above also describes a simple daily practice:
- Each day, write down five things you are grateful for, however simple or humble. If you don’t wish to journal, you can say your five things to yourself before bed.
- See the giver behind the gift. When something kind happens, you might think about the person who made it happen, and thank them.
- If you are religious, gratitude can be an opportunity for prayer or praise. Saying grace before a meal is a gratitude practice many people know.
- Gratitude does not mean ignoring life’s flaws. Community service or charity can be one way to express it.
- Practice even when you don’t feel like it. The worksheet suggests that remembering what there is to be thankful for can take the edge off anger or sadness, which are valid emotions in their own right.
