As we head into the holidays and find ourselves sharing what we are grateful for with loved ones, it’s also an opportune moment to contemplate how gratitude can be practiced throughout the year. As William Arthur Ward said, “gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
Practicing gratitude can have a positive impact on both the body and the mind. Shifting awareness to the present helps to find moments of gratitude in everyday life, leading to increased happiness, generosity, and health.
This process doesn’t have to take long and can be a simple addition to a daily routine. Registered Psychotherapist and columnist for Mindful Magazine, Elaine Smookler, recommends a five-minute mindful practice. Find somewhere quiet, put on headphones, and listen to this guided practice to cultivate gratitude for life’s small delights through the senses.
Commit to daily gratitude practice by keeping a mindful gratitude journal. Each day, reflect on all of the things you are grateful for and write them down. This can be a positive event, experience, person or thing and will help in becoming mindful of what may have been taken for granted before. “There is no right way to do it,” states Robert A. Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Davis. “The important thing is to establish the habit of paying attention to gratitude-inspiring events.”
Social media can be a place to share gratitude and a tool to help create a more positive online atmosphere. Simon Sinek, optimist and best-selling author, uses his social platforms to inspire others through positive quotes, short and informative video clips, and created a “Thank you Thursday” series to spread goodness and gratitude each week, encouraging others to submit thank you videos of their own.
At Glen Ivy, we recognize the importance of practicing gratitude to achieve goodness in our daily lives. Glen Ivy is quite simply, a hub for happiness and good health, providing a place to relax and put your wellbeing back on track. From taking in the sounds of nature to putting your devices down and enjoying the company of yourself or others, you can cultivate gratitude and receive its benefits each and every day.
