Gratitude. We know its power. We want the positive benefits it brings. And, yet, sometimes it seems a little more elusive than we’d like to admit. After all, on any given day, life can feel pretty overwhelming or discouraging. Whether it’s a work project gone awry or unfair treatment by a leader or a frustrating parenting moment, our daily disappointments are real, aren’t they? Sometimes we just don’t feel very grateful.
Unfortunately, when we find ourselves in the place where we’re just not “feeling it,” it’s easy to then turn to shame – the shame of knowing that in a world where so many people are homeless, hurt, abandoned, or abused, gratitude for what we DO have should come easier.
So, what’s the solution? Do you push yourself to feel grateful when you know that it’s not happening on a core level? Do you just resort to being a phony? Or do you let yourself wallow in shame, beating yourself up for how you know you should feel?
Let me suggest another option: practice. Gratitude, like many character traits and skills, requires practice. People who practice things aren’t supposed to have mastered them! So give yourself some freedom and just start simply. Dr. Robert Emmons, prominent gratitude researcher and author of Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, says that there are three stages to practicing gratitude: (1) recognizing what we’re grateful for; (2) acknowledging it; and (3) appreciating it.
Sometimes, that’s just as simple as standing at your sink to get a glass of water and noting that you have clean water flowing right into your home and into your glass. Instead of taking that blessing for granted, as we so easily do, become mindful of it. Breathe a sigh of relief that you don’t have to worry about bacteria in your water or walk a mile to a well to retrieve it. And, then choose to be grateful as you take a big, refreshing gulp.
But, as I already said, it’s going to take practice. And that can take many forms. I searched the web for some other creative ideas to help us infuse gratitude into our daily living. Here are a few practical ideas that I found:
- Keep a gratitude journal. All it requires is noting one or more things you are grateful for on a daily basis. No fancy notebook, no computer program required. If you’d rather skip pen and paper, download an app like Mojo to keep your running gratitude list on your phone.
- Seek to turn negatives into positives. If you identify something or someone with a negative trait (the cold conference room), switch it in your mind to a positive trait (the conference room with a great view).
- Give at least one compliment daily, whether directly to a person or by sharing your appreciation of something (“I love how quiet it is in the morning, don’t you?”).
- Join an online gratitude community like The Gratitude Jar. This site lets you share what you’re grateful for with the world and view others’ gratitude statements for inspiration.
- Vow to not complain, criticize, or gossip for a week. If you slip, rally your willpower and keep going. Notice how much energy you were spending on negative thoughts.
- Try meditation or Meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. Although people often focus on a word or phrase (such as “peace”), it is also possible to focus on what you’re grateful for (the warmth of the sun, a pleasant sound, etc.).
- Become a photo journalist. Take pictures of the things you are grateful for and flip through those images before you fall asleep each night. You could even print them out in a bound book through an online photo service at the end of the year!
- Use social media for spread the love. Tweet and include “#grateful” at the end of each gratitude tweet. In doing so, you’ll others who are improving their daily life experiences simply by acknowledging the things they are grateful for. Update Your Facebook status with at least one daily expression of gratitude. “Today I am grateful for…”.
I love that my quick search produced so many great ideas!
And, yet, I would offer this caution: don’t get bogged down. The more complicated we make things, the less likely we are to actually follow through. So, if one of these ideas gets you jazzed and will help you practice gratitude, go for it! But, if it becomes a hassle to tweet something out every day and adds mental stress to your “I should be doing xyz” list, then skip it. The point is to take some sort of action to help you practice gratitude. Not to add stress to your life!
As a bonus, you should be encouraged to know that you’re not alone! This list of ideas is proof that there are many others who are trying to infuse gratitude into their daily lives too.
I suspect that a little practice will go a long way toward getting you where you want to be. I know it has helped me.
