Cultivating A Gratitude Practice
Simply put, life is full of ups and downs. There may even be some periods of our lives where it feels near to impossible to pinpoint what the “ups” are. Even through the stormiest of seasons, creating designated time to reflect on what we are grateful for can have long lasting impacts on our social, emotional, and physical well-being.
As the national month of gratitude ends, and the holiday season begins, it may be a perfect time to reflect on your relationship to gratitude and begin cultivating a daily practice with intention.
What is a gratitude practice?
Think of your life as having both noise and music playing at the same time, each at different volume levels. The noise is stress, painful experiences, and difficult emotions. The music is connection, beauty, and the micro moments that bring you joy. Practicing gratitude isn’t about muting the noise…it’s about turning up the volume on the music so you can actually hear it, even if the noise is still there.
The actual practice of gratitude is more than just saying a polite “thank you” to the person who held the door open for you. It’s the act of carving out intentional time to notice, receive, and embody the feelings of gratitude. This can be an experience you’ve had (no matter how big or small), a person you deeply appreciate, or revisiting a memory from your past that brings you joy.
To be clear, this does not mean we need to gloss over our difficulties in order to truly feel grateful. It does not require an endorsement of toxic positivity or trying to always find “the silver lining” when we experience hardship. Developing a gratitude practice assists us in observing and cataloging positive experiences, even when our brains are wired to collect and focus primarily on all the negative stuff.
Devote time each day to your gratitude practice. It can help to “habit stack” this with something you already have established in your routine, such as pairing a gratitude exercise while you drink your morning coffee. The list below are just a few ideas of many to cultivate your practice. You can practice similar ones each day or mix it up!
Create a gratitude journal: Whether it’s one thing you’re grateful for or a more in depth reflection by using guided gratitude prompts, documenting your gratitude daily can be a powerful practice. Are you more of an app person? The Gratitude App is available for both Apple and Android devices!
Express your gratitude: Write a gratitude letter, e-mail, or text to a loved one expressing how they have positively impacted you. Expressing your thankfulness can be such a connecting experience and can have a profound impact on your relationships, however you don’t even HAVE to send it to experience the gratitude this exercise alone can bring.
Take a gratitude walk: Take a stroll and mindfully tune into your environment. Use your five senses to engage your gratitude practice. What do you see? Hear? Taste? Touch? Smell? Be present with what you notice and lean into the feelings of gratitude as you move your body.
Snap a gratitude photo: Take one picture a day of something that made you feel thankful. Whether it’s a cup of your nightly tea or a screenshot of a quote that resonated with you, creating a digital collection of gratitude is another way to help build up these experiences.
Guided Gratitude Meditation: Guided meditations may help facilitate stronger connection to our internal emotional experiences. Gratitude is no exception to this! Here’s a few guided gratitude meditations that you could integrate into your practice to further notice and embody the feelings of gratitude.
Like with any new habit, developing a consistent gratitude practice takes time. It may take a few different techniques or some experimentation to find something sustainable for you.
If you find yourself curious about the role of gratitude in your life or want to explore more ways to practice gratitude, therapy can be a great tool for this! GPC therapists are happy to support you in that journey, just reach out for our support.