With Thanksgiving just around the corner, ‘tis the season for feeling grateful. When the days feel shorter, and the holiday craze hasn’t quite set in (yet), you may feel as though you have a bit more time for reflection. This is a great time to practice gratitude.
In this post, I am going to show you how to practice gratitude in five simple steps.
Practice Gratitude Step 1:
Find a quiet place to lay down or sit comfortably. Relax your gaze. You can do this by closing your eyes, or resting your sight on nothing in particular.
Gratitude Step 2:
Begin to notice the here and now. Direct your thoughts away from the past and future, and focus on the present moment. Notice your breath, the temperature in your vicinity, or simply how your body feels. Try not to bring judgement or analysis to your observations.
Gratitude Step 3:
Begin to let warm, comforting, welcoming thoughts to you. Ask yourself these questions:
• Who do you feel grateful to know?
• What has happened recently that makes you feel blessed or lucky?
• When was a recent moment that made you feel thankful to be alive?
• Where is a place that brings you joy or comfort?
Practice Gratitude Step 4:
Answer these questions in your mind slowly and without judgement. Any answer that brings you a warm, joyous feeling is perfect. Notice how your body feels when you answer these questions. How do your feelings of gratitude manifest themselves in your body?
Practice Gratitude Step 5:
Gently bring more awareness to your surroundings. Wiggle your toes and fingers. Take a deep breath. Open your eyes or broaden your gaze. You have just finished your gratitude practice!
These steps can be as long or as short as you have time. I’d aim for practicing gratitude for about 5 minutes a day to get started. You can practice gratitude in the shower, in a parked car (during those moments when you’ve reached your destination), or even first thing in the morning after your alarm goes off. If you are one to practice consistency, work it into your evening routine or during your morning ritual.
Special note: this week is an exciting for me to feel grateful. It’s the blog’s birthday today. Three years ago, I launched this website with the support of my friends and family. I feel so grateful to get to write for and learn from you every week. Thank you for your support of the site!
How do you practice gratitude? Let me know in the comments!
© 2017 Caitlin W Howe, LLC
Manners matter here! Not sure whether your comment is irrelevant, impolite, or disrespectful? Read my commenting rules Commenting Rules
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!