So after my 5th time seeing “The Five Minute Journal” pop up on my Instagram, I headed over to Amazon to grab myself a copy. I had been telling myself for months that I should start journaling, and this seemed like the solution.
I could follow basic instructions – right? Every morning and every night you just answer the prompts.
Well, the first prompt every day is… What are three things you are grateful for?
Well – I stuck to it, and 6 months later, I have finished my first journal, and can confidently say that this daily gratitude practice has changed my life.
Not only can I identify and be thankful for all the areas in different areas of my life, but I found that shifting my mindset from ugggh I have to get out of bed to fuck yeah I get to get out of bed stayed with me throughout my entire day.
And over months – this just led to a greater feeling of happiness on a day to day basis.
What is Gratitude?
Gratitude is a process that requires 2 steps.
- You recognize that you have a positive outcome
- You recognize an external force for that positive outcome
By showing appreciation of something you have to something that helped you get it seems like a pretty basic thing… and the best part is that is it super basic.
Why should you practice gratitude?
Well, I kind of answered this but let’s break it down into 2 parts; individual benefits and social benefits.
Individual
- Reframe your mindset for the day
- Feelings of happiness, contentment, and satisfaction in all areas of life
- More energy
- Better sleep
- Clarity on things you value
Social
Share it, baby! Who doesn’t like to hear that they are positively affecting someone else’s day?
Also, check these out:
- Feeling generous
- More inclined to be helpful
- Others feel acknowledged and appreciated
How to start practicing gratitude
Write it down
Journal
This is how I started and it worked for me. You don’t have to buy a specific journal, but just writing down a couple of things each day that you’re grateful for is a great first step
Letters
- If there is someone or something in particular that you are grateful for – write them a letter. You can really dive in and then you always have the option to send it (more on that later)
Post-it notes
- Post them around your house and then you can see them all day!
Sit with it
Meditate
There are a million gratitude mediations online so there really is no excuse.
Say it out loud
Thank you
- Why not share the love with the people you appreciate the most? Not only does this make you feel good… but they’ll feel great too
Send the letter
- Stamps cost like 50 cents and you already put in all the work.
A random call or text
- They are free and are just as cute as a handwritten note.
Hugs
- They’re also free so give em out like they’re sorries from a Canadian ??
