7 Simple Ways to Practice Gratitude Daily

 

Gratitude is an essential part of building happiness. It helps us realize what we

have and helps puts situations into perspective. Gratitude is the expression of being thankful and having an attitude of appreciation and not taking things for granted in life. The benefits of practicing gratitude are infinite.

Gratitude is about taking the time to appreciate the little things in life that make you happy. When you take the time to stop and count your blessings, you realize that your life is full of things to be thankful for. People who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they are thankful for experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems.

Science tells us that grateful people are typically happier people. Being grateful makes us more optimistic and reduces negativity, and that is a tremendous reason to make acts of gratitude a daily habit. Try to think about what you are thankful at least once a day. When you begin to practice gratitude and start to notice your day to day world from a point of gratitude you will be amazed at all the goodness we take for granted.

Here are 7 ideas on how to practice gratitude in your everyday life.

Write a Gratitude Journal

Journaling is extremely healthy. When we journal, we are giving ourselves an outlet to express our emotions and an opportunity to reflect on our day. Try to take a few moments each evening to write down one or two positive experiences that occurred during your day. Don’t forget to include even those small acts of kindness: the stranger who held the door, the stranger who paid for your coffee, the stranger who complimented you. You can even include a note of appreciation from a friend, client or colleague. You can even write down 5 things that you are grateful for each day. If you are not keeping track of these small moments of happiness by writing them down, they can be easily be forgotten in today’s hectic world. When we keep a journal, we can look back and reflect how much we have to be thankful for when life isn’t going our way.

Show Gratitude to Your Co-workers

Many of us spend more time at work than with our own families. Introducing gratitude into the workplace can improve moods, productivity and the overall atmosphere.  When hanging out at the water cooler chatting with co-workers share the things that you are grateful for rather than the things that you are not happy about. Try asking co-workers about their personal lives instead of restricting talk to all business. This does not mean you should pry into their personal business, but make an effort to show an interest to who your co-worker is as a person. Write a handwritten thank you note acknowledging the things you valuable about them and their work. Be the calm, positive voice in a stressful situation. Listen with an open mind if a co-worker is having a bad day and recognize that they may need space to figure out things on their own. Always remember that the little things make a tremendous difference.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Take a moment each day to notice the beauty surrounding you. Life is hectic, many of us are juggling a full time job, a family with busy schedules and everything else life might throw into our path. Make a point to take time each day to stop and enjoy the beauty life has to offer. When was the last time you took a moment to pause and appreciate the beauty surrounding you. Next time you are having dinner with your family, instead of playing on your iPhone or rushing to leave the table, enjoy the moment. Everyone is busy, but try not to be so busy that you are missing out on the little things. Take a moment to pause and take it all in. Enjoy the little things. With each small task you perform each day, such as having the ability to open your eyes each morning and even just to enjoy a simple cup of coffee, ask yourself how your life would be without that blessing.

Find Gratitude in Your Challenges

Life is full of ups and downs and we all know life can be messy. It might not seem like it at the time, but everything happens for a reason. Even during those difficult times. The saying, “when one door closes, another opens” holds true throughout our journey in life. Instead of remaining caught up in our mistakes, try to take a moment to think about what your challenges have taught you. What can you be grateful for? What lessons have you learned? How have you evolved as a person from your hardship? What have you learned about yourself? How have your hardships served you? Try to maintain a positive attitude even during the difficult times. Always remember, tough times do not last, tough people do. Take some time each morning to look in the mirror and say, “I appreciate you,” or “I’m thankful for you.”

Practice Self Love

Practicing self-love is an expression of gratitude. It means that you appreciate your mind and body enough to properly care for it all the time, not just when you are feeling ill or run down. Self-love is a way of loving yourself that does not involve harshly judging or punishing yourself for every single mistake you make. Self-love is treating yourself with the same kindness, concern or support you would show a good friend. Respecting yourself the same way you would respect a good friend who has come to you for advice. Take a moment to sit back and think when was the last time you did something for yourself? Take time every now and then to nourish your mind, body and soul. Perhaps this means a trip to the spa, a bubble bath at home, splurging on that outfit you have been admiring or just some quiet time reading a book. Practice daily affirmations. Resolve to love yourself each and every day and eventually your best self will shine through.

Pay it Forward

When you feel grateful for something in your life, allow yourself to extend that feeling to others in a gesture of benevolence. Try any of the following: buy a cup of coffee for the person behind you in line, send flowers to someone you love unexpected, give up your seat on the bus to someone who looks like they may need it more than you, allow the person in line at the grocery store to go ahead of you. If you want to take this further, try volunteering. Volunteering gives us the opportunity to give something back to the community and evolve into a positive force to the people around you. Express gratitude by doing an act of kindness and helping someone else. Gratitude helps us realize what we have in life.

Put Your Phone Away When With Others

Perhaps the greatest way to express your gratitude for others is to give them your undivided attention and to be fully present when in their presence. This is often a difficult task for many thanks to all the digital distractions we now have. Think for a moment, when was the last time you saw a group of friends out to dinner and every single person at that table was full engaged? When was the last holiday that Uncle Bob wasn’t sitting at the table scrolling through his Facebook newsfeed rather than sitting at the table engaged with his family creating memories? There is always at least one person with their phone on the table. Think about the person who took the time to prepare that meal for you, it’s rude to sit at the table hypnotized by your phone. You are sending a direct message to the host that whatever you are looking at on your phone is more important than the present moment.  And if you are one of those people who keeps your phone on the table face down it’s still rude and still a distraction.  Put your phone away. Your friends and family have made time out of their busy schedules to create memories with you not people watch. By putting your phone away and being present in the moment you will be more appreciate of the experiences you have with them.Thanksgiving isn't the only time of year we should reflect and take stock of all the positive things in our life. Be creative and start practicing gratitude year round. The above suggestions are only a few ideas of how to brighten your day and the days of others. Life looks better through the lens of gratitude, and there is always something to be thankful for. Gratitude is a powerful force that will change your view of the world.

Lisa Ingrassia is a freelance writer who writes regularly for Beliefnet, Her View From Home, The Mighty an also blogs for the Huffington Post.