3 Simple Ways to Practice Daily Gratitude

If you are new to practicing heartfulness (the nurturing of positive mind states that induce happiness) it can all seem a little overwhelming and you may not know where to start.

Our recommendation is to begin with gratitude. Gratitude is scientifically proven to be one of the simplest activities to increase our overall happiness and develop a positive outlook in life. It is an activity that can be stripped back and made very simple.

Practicing gratitude is a quick and easy activity to help lighten your mood and change your mindset from negative to positive almost instantaneously. 

To practice gratitude, all you need to do is simply think of something, someone or somewhere you are thankful for and why. It’s as easy as that! There are many different ways you can practice gratitude, but we are going to focus on three simple ways that you can practice gratitude every day on your own and with your family!

1.     Gratitude Journal – Every morning, start your day in a positive way by using a gratitude journal. Simply list or draw people, places and things that you are grateful for and contemplate why. You can write a sentence or a paragraph, draw a stick figure or create a masterpiece, whatever you are feeling inclined to do in the moment. Being grateful in the morning will give you a nice boost of happy hormones and put you in a good mood for the day…don’t we all need a bit of happiness to start our morning and prepare us for the onslaught of the day?!!

2.     Mental Note – You can use this tip on the spot at any time of the day when you are feeling flustered, overwhelmed or flat as a self-regulation tool or pick-me-up. All you need to do is take a moment to close your eyes and take a deep breath to tune in to the present moment. Then make a mental note of the positives and things you are grateful for in the present situation or in your life as a whole. No matter how difficult life can get we can always find something to be grateful for. Whether you got everyone out of the house on time that day or the fact that you woke up this morning. Notice how mentally listing things you are grateful for makes you feel and watch your mood and perspective change. 

3.     Gratitude Games – Here are two games that are perfect to play with the family around the dinner table. The first involves each person taking turns to share with everyone something from their day that they are grateful for and why. It makes everyone smile, allows everyone to reflect on the positive parts of their day and strengthens family connection. An alternate gratitude game can be having each person choose a letter or a colour and then the whole family shares something, anything, starting with that letter or in that colour that they are grateful for. This one is known to cause a few silly comments and lots of laughs in our house!

These three ways to practice gratitude only take about 5-10 minutes out of your day and can make all the difference to your mindset. Did you know that just 21 days of being grateful for 3 things per day trains our brain to think positively and notice the good things in life more often.

So, next time you are feeling negative, down, or just off - try practicing some gratitude. Notice how it makes you feel. Try to stay in that thankful space for as long as possible. Your mood will be boosted and your outlook on life for the day will be more optimistic.

If you are in need of a gratitude journal, Head and Heart Mindfulness have created their very own version! It lists the benefits of gratitude, quotes on gratitude by famous thought leaders, and has prompting questions to help guide your gratitude on the harder days. Check it out, here.