Gratitude
You may have heard of a gratitude diary or jar. These words have become more common over the past few years.
Sometimes I get clients that roll their eyes when I mention it (I get a similar response to meditation). I wonder what is behind this response? Possibly the association with new age culture or maybe it’s because it is not a pill. Often in today’s society we are searching for the quick fix. We have been bought up in a society that has fast food, ping ding meals and hands us a prescription if we go to the doctors, and therefore we have grown to believe it should be fast, easy and we need medication. However, our bodies are amazing and respond brilliantly when given the right nutrition, exercise and mindset. If you can help yourself, I believe that is the better option.
So here is a prescription from me to help with your mindset.
Gratitude
Frequency of use: to be done at least one a day (you cannot overdose on this!)
Directions: Think of 5 things that today you are grateful for. You might like to record them in a diary, on a piece of paper in a gratitude jar, or on a note on your phone or computer. That is it. Physically recording it is far better than just the thought, but the thought is better than nothing.
Possible side effects:
May cause your perspective to shift (to more positive things)
May cause feelings of happiness
May motivate you
May help you feel that you have things in your life
May decrease feelings of fear
May decrease feelings of anxiety
May reduce your stress
May improve relationships
May improve sleep quality
May improve energy levels
May lower pain
There is only one way that you can do this wrong…… not doing it! Your gratitude is personal to you. You can write it, type it, draw it, say it, record it.
When you are happy with the basics take it to the next level by
Ensuring it is positive. It’s ok to “not” something, maybe I’m grateful that it didn’t rain, but what is it that was positive about it? Maybe that you stayed dry, maybe that you could be outside.
Be specific – who, what, where. Adding detail helps us connect with our emotions.
Recreate the emotion you had in the moment you are recalling. Find this before you start recording.
Go for the deeper stuff rather than the superficial
Find gratitude in the people and things you dislike
Take your time. It is good to have a fixed amount of time and even if you have got your 5 before that ends, keep with it. Either explore one or more of them more thoroughly or find more.
Avoid repetition. ‘I’m grateful I got dressed today’ every day will not help you.
Do it either first thing in the morning or as part of your bedtime routine.
Use an area of your life to focus each day’s gratitudes. E.g. relationships, love, nature, work.
Read/ listen to your previous gratitudes.
Gratitude works by tuning our mind to the good, positive things. It is so easy to get caught up in what was wrong, what he said, the horrid meeting, etc that we don’t notice that the sun shone and the Debbie made you a cup of tea.
There are pre-printed gratitude journals out there. I suggest you have a go before purchasing one so you know what sort of style and content suits you. I was thinking about creating a Lilac Pearl journal …. What do you think?