Five Gratitude Practices ~ The Literary Lady

‘Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.’ - Marcus Tullius Cicero

In my unapologetically vast collection of self-help books, each author always agrees on one thing. Be it a book about meditation, faith or journaling, there is always an importance placed upon gratitude. Being grateful for what we already have changes everything. It causes a shift in our perspective that can help us feel that we’re having a really good day. The mysterious thing about gratitude is that the more you have, the more reason you get to feel thankful. Tuning your focus onto the wonderful, means you pick up more greatness – more good luck, more gifts and more good experiences! Here are five ways you can practice gratitude…

1. Gratitude Record/Jar

This is such a simple gratitude practice that has amazingly rewarding results. A few times a week, or daily if you want to, write down something you feel grateful for (big or small) into a gratitude notebook or onto a piece of paper that you can place in a big jar. I like this idea because not only do you feel grateful in the moment, but you’ll also reap the benefits when you re-read your notes later on. Last year, I used the jar method for a whole year and opened it up on my birthday. It felt so good to remember all the little moments of happiness that might have been easily forgotten.

2. A Letter of Thanks

This is a gratitude tool that you can take longer over. Write a heartfelt letter of gratitude to someone who has helped you, supported you, taught you or made you a better person in some way. It can be hard to get your feelings on paper knowing someone will see it, so if it makes you feel better you don’t even have to send it. First and foremost, you want to trigger that feeling of appreciation in yourself. But, of course, sending it will give you that feel-good feeling of making someone’s day. This is a good one to do on special occasions like Mother’s Day or anniversaries. You could even try writing one to yourself.

3. Look on the past with gratitude

Many people confine their gratitude to the present moment - which is good because being mindful of the ‘now’ is key. But, in reality, our minds often wander back to the past and we find ourselves judging our actions. Pick out a few occasions from the past where things went annoyingly for you. For example, instead of cringing about times you’ve made mistakes, think about what that mistake taught you and be grateful you are now wiser.

4. Morning Gratitude

This can be done before you’ve even left your bed in the morning and is particularly good for very busy people. Simply, state to yourself or out loud ten things your grateful for. Include the core things like your health, loved ones and home, but also add in a few different ones each morning like the parking space you found with ease or the great podcast you listened to yesterday.

5. Incorporate little moments of gratitude

Build in little moments of thanksgiving each day: say thank you to shop assistants when you’re paying, smile at people who do nice things for you and buy flowers for people your grateful for. Like Joey Tribbiani says, there is no selfless good deeds because all these things will make you feel wonderful about yourself.

Pick one or two from the list and keep a note of any positive impact on your wellbeing. Thank you for reading!