“When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment
goes out and the tide of love rushes in.”
—Kristin Armstrong
“Thank you”. The server brings your drink, a woman holds the door, or someone gives a helping hand. We appreciate it and we are polite, so we say thank you. But what about when “thank you” goes deeper and is truly felt and brought into awareness on a regular basis? It starts to become much more than a brief uttering of appreciation and is very powerful. We call that gratitude. And when gratitude becomes a prominent part of your life, your life will change.
Gratitude as a practice means taking time every day or throughout the day to stop and get consciously present to what you are thankful for.
Many studies have documented the benefits of gratitude on one’s life. Stress reduction, a healthier and less painful body, a clearer mind, more positive emotions such as compassion, joy, and empathy, as well as improvements in relationships, self esteem and sleep are just some of the areas that benefit from a regular gratitude practice, It has also been well documented that people with higher levels of gratitude, report higher levels of overall happiness.
There are many ways to bring gratitude into your life. Like any new habit, it can take practice. In any moment look around and ask “what can I be grateful for?”. Then say “I am grateful for ____” and fill in the blank.
It can be big or small: The air you are breathing, that you have a job, that you are free, that you can walk, for a family member or child, a pet, for the patient in front of you, that you get to work with animals, for a coworker, that the sun is shining, that it is raining (again) and you don’t have to worry where your next sip of water is coming from, that you have a car, that your brain works well so you can drive it, that people are out there doing what they do so you can go to the grocery store, and so on.
The list is endless and no matter how awful any particular moment feels, there is always something to be grateful for. If at first it is difficult, just start with obvious things like air, feet, clothes. The more you do it, the easier it becomes and life begins to shift.
Many people find benefit in keeping a gratitude journal. Everyday, write down 5 or 10 things you are grateful for. You can do this just before bed or when you wake up. Some people will have a gratitude partner such as a friend or significant other. I know couples who share gratitudes in bed each night before they go to sleep. I use a video messaging app with my best friend and we message our gratitudes to each other almost daily.
In the workplace, you can draw names at a team meeting and each person says something they are grateful for about that person. Or people can stop in a moment and just say “I’m grateful that I get to be with this adorable dog right now. What are you grateful for?”
When gratitude is genuine and truly felt from the heart, it is powerful and is a choice you can make for yourself to enhance your experience of life in so many ways.
