You may be familiar with the little rhyme “attitude of gratitude”. It may be short and simple, but it allows us to remind ourselves every day to live each day filled with gratitude. Practicing gratitude on the daily not only influences your thoughts and the way you think positively, but also impacts how you feel on the inside – mentally and physically – as well as those around us.
Gratitude comes from within you, when you genuinely feel at peace with yourself and your life, appreciating and being thankful for what you have. Gratitude begins when you do not feel like you are lacking anything in your life or even in yourself, when you feel whole and content. Finding that gratitude in yourself may seem like a challenge, especially when you feel like you need more than what you have, or do not feel good enough about yourself.
During such times like this, practicing gratitude may change your perspective on life. You may find a light in yourself that has not been lit before. You would live a minimalistic, peaceful life. However, regardless what circumstances you are around, you should always take some time out of your day to think about all the things you are grateful for. Once you have reached that feeling of constant content within yourself and surroundings, you would no longer feel constrained to the societal idea of happiness. However, remember that everybody has their own way of showing appreciation.
Beginning Your Gratitude Journey
- Start your day by reminding yourself of all the positive aspects in your life at the moment. Keep a journal with you to jot down whatever positive thoughts run through your mind.
- Do not force it. Forcing “fake” positivity can equally harm your thoughts and the way you feel. Let it come to you naturally – give yourself time to heal from whatever may be that is challenging. It is okay not to feel okay. We should always allow ourselves to feel our emotions and identify those challenges and approach them to overcome them!
- Sharing your gratitude with others. Show others, like family and friends, how appreciative you are of having them in your life. This will reflect back onto you and project out positive energy towards yourself and those around you.
- Do not take life too seriously. At the end of the day, we are all human. Take each day one step at a time and observe your surroundings. Take time and watch yourself grow.
- No matter how difficult life gets, you will always be able to find at least one thing you are grateful for, be it your family, a partner in your life, your close friends, or even your pet.
- When you are going through something frustrating, instead of complaining and projecting out negative energy, pause for a minute and ask yourself if this situation is worth getting frustrated over. Remind yourself of how powerful your thoughts are. You are what you think. The more negativity you allow yourself to feel, the weaker you get – emotionally and mentally. The power our thoughts have can change your perspective on everything. So, take some time and remind yourself of all the things you have achieved.