Anointedtoday.blogspot.com: How to Practice Gratitude

Do you make it a daily practice to practice gratitude? Does showing gratitude come naturally for you? Do you find yourself working hard to show gratitude? Gratitude is so important.

Did You Know?

***Your Life Matters***

1. Make Gratitude part of your daily life

Did you know there is a science to gratitude? Making an effort to notice the good stuff in our lives and to recognize that the good things often come from outside ourselves is talked about by b-present.org. They further add that you can make gratitude a part of your everyday lives by being mindful of moments, journaling and getting specific, and expressing how you feel, this may be hard for some and easy for others, but practicing this can make it easier over time. You might practice saying, “I appreciate you.”

2. More Ways to Practice Gratitude

Did you know that you can start observing, pick one interaction day, come to your senses, use visual reminders, make a vow to practice gratitude, watch your language, go through the motions, and think outside the box. Mindful.org., talks about this. I really like the thinking outside the box. There are so many ways to get creative. I recall going on a field trip with my grandson when he was younger. There was a bee that kept buzzing around our table as we were about to eat outdoors. As the bee lit on the table my young grandson took a cup and covered the bee. Everyone thanked him. That was such a creative way to stop the bee. I never thought of that, but I was so glad that he did.

3. Benefits of Gratitude

Did you know that there are benefits to practicing gratitude? Practicing gratitude benefits may include better sleep, higher-self-esteem, social benefits, and decrease in blood pressure. HelpGuide.org., mentions this. Also, I have mentioned many times before my pastor asked us to write a letter to several people telling how the people influenced and helped us in our life. I recall doing that. I thought that was a great idea. One of the several people I wrote to was my pastor. He and bible study helped me to stop smoking. I told him that. I know some people can quit “cold turkey.” It was very difficult for me. When I share this story with others some tell me, “you do not look like you used to smoke.” I thought to myself, “What does a previous smoker look like?” Possibly a previous smoker might look just like you or me. Because your children may tend to imitate you, I was thankful none of my children picked that habit up. I believe my children thought of it as terrible habit.

4. Trusting the Process

Can you trust the process? Yes you can trust the process even though it may take work. Dr. Pruder at wondermind.com states that starting out with trying gratitude once a week or every few days for one month may change your progress. He further adds that you may even make it a part of your daily routine.

5. Gratitude Ritual

What is a gratitude ritual? Kidshealth.org., talks about a gratitude ritual of some people saying grace before a meal. They further add that it does not have to be religious, but a simple habit that helps you notice and appreciate the blessing of food on the table.

6. Thankful for the Small things

We have often sung a song in church, “Thank You.” This song talks about, “It could have been me outdoors with no food or no clothes.” I am very mindful of that song, because I realize I am blessed. There are many without any food or without shelter and that is not a small or little thing either. My pastor often shares only having one pair of shoes and no television when he was a young boy. I guess I can consider myself blessed because I had several pair of shoes as a child and television. I often think about the anonymous quote, “I cried because I had not shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” That quote alone is something to remind everyone that you have a lot to be thankful for.

Young people today may not know the struggle that their parents had. I often tell my children and grandchildren when I first married we did not have a car and I would take a cab to the laundry mat to wash our clothes. Pampers were so expensive we chose diapers. Diaper service was less expensive then. Only I sometimes would run out of clean diapers before the next pickup so I would hand wash them and dry them on our radiator heater in our tiny apartment. I shared with them we did not have backpacks for all of our many books when I attended High School and we did not have busing. So we walked several blocks with many books.

I share with my children and grandchildren to show them how blessed they are and pray that they will be grateful for what they have.

I recall when my one daughter graduated from high school she was class valedictorian and an all A Student her entire life. She received a free train ticket for the weekend. from Notre Dame as they were recruiting. She shared with me when she went there she really took a good look at the school and the curriculum. She shared that many of the other students that were visiting there just wanted to party for the weekend and that was all. She told me, “ Mama they do not realize how lucky they are.” I share this because when she told me that I realized how lucky I was that she was aware and thankful. So basically you can look around you and probably find so many things to be thankful for, especially since we endured a Pandemic that has been said to be the worse Pandemic that we have ever had. So I ask you, “What are you thankful for?”

Source:

Embracing Gratitude: How to Cultivate a Thankful Heart and Stronger Relationships

How to Practice Gratitude

Gratitude

How to Make a gratitude Practice That doesn’t Feel Like Toxic Positivity

3 Ways to Practice Gratitude

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