If you really think about it, your life is pure magic. The fact that you are you, here and now, on this planet, in this universe. That flowers wilt and die just to pop back up next spring – or just simply that the sun sets and rises every day.
However, we are so used to all these things that we let them go unnoticed, walking around stuck in our minds. What to eat, how to provide, what to do next, how to achieve more. It’s never ending if you let your monkey mind run the show.
This is where gratitude comes in as a stop and release for me. I mean this in a literal way; I stop, I acknowlish and I appreciate whatever it is.
Because really, what is gratitude?
It’s nothing more or less than our emotion that relates to feeling and expressing thankfulness and appreciation.
Research shows that expressing gratitude regularly improves mental, physical and relational well-being. So, by taking the time to be grateful – and yes that includes even the smallest things – you will begin to experience a positive shift in your mind that will create a ripple effect and manifest into your physical life. There’s scientific proof that people who regularly practice gratitude have lower blood pressure, exercise more often, and even have fewer aches and pains. It also comes with increased serotonin levels—the happiness hormone!
Don’t know where to start?
Here’s a few ways that I pay attention and show gratitude in my daily life.
- Ask your waitress how her day is going
- I always stop and smell the flowers and marvel at all the incredible beauty that is nature. Oh wow, look at the snowflakes, the tree, the sun, the bird.. It’s never ending once you truly open your heart and your minds eye.
- Be an active listener (= don’t just listen to reply and talk)
- Call your friends or family
- Change I have to to I get to
- Do a form of movement you love and say thanks to your body for it’s ability to jump, walk, sprint, carry, dance ect. What an incredible vessel for the soul ad our pure essence we have!
- Do something unexpected for someone
- Donate some of your possessions, time or money to a charity
- Feed your body clean and nourishing foods
- Hug a tree (honestly it’s the best. feeling. ever.)
- Give a shoutout on social media to a sustainable company you love
- Give genuine compliments to those around you
- Host a gratitude dinner party
- Hugs before handshakes!
- Keep a gratitude journal
- Laugh more
- Leave encouraging words for someone
- Make eye contact
- Say thank you
- Pay it forward: Buy someone a coffee
- Practice positive affirmations
- Read a book and share it with someone
- Say thanks to our earth before each meal
- Share positive reviews online 🙂
- Shop at a local farmers market and give thanks to your farmers
- Smile!
- Take three deep breaths – be grateful for the air filling your lungs
- Take time to do something you love each day
- Tell your partner what you love about them every day
- Think of three things you’re grateful for before you go to sleep
- Turn complaints into an opportunity for growth
- Visit your family, particularly your elders
- Be grateful for and help to save our oceans – reduce your plastic consumption
- Watch more sunrises and sunsets, recognize each day as a gift
- Write and send postcards
What are your daily gratitude habits? Any of these you are looking forward to trying out? Comment below or shoot me a message here or on instagram 😻