Following up to my previous post on why should we be grateful. Here are some tips on how to practice it and make it a part of your daily life. Gratitude is something we must feel and express every day, it isn’t only for happy days when things are going our way but also on days when things aren’t. Even if you don’t feel your usual chirpy self, be grateful then also because it’s only a bad moment. It will pass by. But your gratitude counts a lot more than a weak moment.
It only takes a few minutes a day. Trust me we can spare those minutes for it. Buy a quirky journal with some positive sayings on it. Or just a simple notepad will do too. Keep it handy and in the same place each time. You don’t want to be wasting time hunting for it every time you want to pen down your gratitude list.
Date it every day, so you can go back and see your personal growth and how you evolve on things you start becoming grateful for overtime. It’s amazing how this practicing gratitude makes you grow and focus on the really important things in life.
Make a list of people, things and opportunities you are grateful for. Be grateful for your parents, siblings, cousins, grandparents, friends, partner, kids, your helpers at home, your office staff. All the people that make your life better and keep it positive.
Be grateful for your work, your skills, your opportunities. If you got a good job offer, be grateful. If you got blessed with ways to keep your work going during the lockdown, be grateful. Be grateful if you have done something constructive during your day. If you got the opportunity to explore your passion. Be grateful for it. Pen it down. Pen down the piano lesson you took today, an online course you signed up for, a painting you finished.
Be grateful for your body is healthy and strong. If you worked out today or took care of yourself. Be grateful to your skin for healing its wounds. Your body is so crucial and supports your every move. Be grateful that you are blessed with a good, clean, healthy body.
Write down all the things you are grateful for. To start with, make a list of 5 things, once you start getting the hang of it, increase it to 10 things you are grateful for. Eventually, you will start writing in your own flow in a way that is comfortable for you. Do it first thing in the morning or just before bed. But write
If writing is not your thing, say a prayer or chant. A lot of Buddhist preachers have beautiful gratitude prayers. So do others. Whatever it is that you believe in. Find a gratitude prayer and say it every night before sleeping and also if when you just wake up.
If you want to just keep it simple just say “I thank you universe for…” and continue with all the things you are grateful for. Keep yourself humble and if you kneel down and join your hands next to your bed, it’s the most ideal.
It’s a habit worth inculcating and it will make you sleep and wake up on a positive note as the prayer will auto-suggest to your subconscious mind to sleep in peace leading to positive and healthy dreams and waking up on a good note.
My mom made my brother do this every night before sleeping and his list also included toys but now he has become so habitual to it that sometimes he reminds us at night to say our thank you prayer before sleeping. I have seen the difference in my sleep on the night and morning when I say out my gratitude prayer Vs when I get lazy or forget to. My quality of sleep is great. I also wake up feeling so fresh and charged up.
Close your eyes for a few minutes and visualise your blessing, visualise in your mind all that you are grateful for. Visualise the people in your life, the opportunities, yourself and whatever else comes to your mind that you are grateful for.
Visualising a great way to connect with your subconscious mind, it helps you flow your gratitude vibe through your entire body. It also helps you concentrate and stay focused. Visualising also helps to see things in perspective.
Visualise the beautiful sunsets we can see, visualise the increase of birds sounds we hear these days, some of us are even up till sunrise. When was the last time you could witness it in your daily life? It is so beautiful. While shooting my IGTV videos there’s a constant sound of the birds chirping. I try as much to make sure I’m on the terrace to see the magnificent skies at sunset. Be grateful for this opportunity now. nothing heals like nature and right now even nature is healing. Thank the universe for replenishing the planet we live on. It’s god’s own creation, pure and raw. Value it. Appreciate it.
Visualising also makes your subconscious mind stronger and keeps you more aligned with your goals and actions in daily life. Our subconscious mind is always working and our auto-suggestions make a big difference. So make sure in any form of gratitude, your mind is clear and inhibited. Don’t do it for any selfish reasons or expecting some sort of reward. It’s to be selfless and only to appreciate what we are blessed with.
If a friend has helped you through a rough day, share your gratitude with them. Let them know you appreciate their gesture and value their friendship. Thank your parents for all the support they shower on you. Make an effort for them, cook them their special dish, or play some games with them. Make them feel appreciated.
Your help at home or your drivers are also staying away from their families to be there for you. Thank them, be kind to them, talk to them with respect. Let them know you appreciate them, take care of them, give them food and shelter and every now and then check on them. Ask them how are they feeling, are they connected to their families, have they eaten? They are also human; this is as much of an adjustment for them as it is for you and I. Be kind.
Reach out in ways, you think best. Get together with friends or colleagues on Zoom and check in with each other, uplift each other. Show your gratitude and spread some love. Everyone likes to be appreciated, everyone likes being acknowledged for any efforts they have made. It doesn’t make you any less of a person if you express yourself. This is the time to do so.
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