In positive psychology research, gratitude has proven to be strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Some leading psychologists in this field which you can check out include Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, David and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman from the University of Pennsylvania, to name a few.
The practise of being grateful helps people to connect to something larger than themselves – whether it be to other people, nature, or a higher power. It helps you to feel more positive emotions and appreciate good experiences more frequently. Over time, this starts to alter the way you perceive the world around you by shifting your mindset and, as neuroscience has proven, actually starts to change how your brain works!
If you’d like to find out more on how you can start adapting your brain to alter your reality, check out this link to the Gaia series, Rewired by Dr. Joe Dispenza.
When things change inside you, they change around you. ~Unknown
It is important to remember that people feel and express gratitude in many ways and there is no right or wrong way to start your gratitude practise. Some simple ways to cultivate a regular practise include writing yourself a daily thank-you note, thanking someone mentally, keeping a gratitude journal, counting your blessings, prayer, and meditation to name a few. Regardless of your current level of practise, it’s a quality that everyone can develop further.
I had found myself stuck in a negative thought cycle at the start of the pandemic and wanted to see for myself whether this would alter my thoughts as much as research had stated. I personally found that keeping a daily gratitude journal was the best way to keep me accountable and consistent. For the purpose of choosing a round number, I started my practise by promising myself that I would stick to 100 days of gratitude every morning to see how it would change my mindset.
At first it felt a bit forced and I found myself repeating the obvious things such as “I am grateful for my bed”, “I am grateful for the roof over my head”, etc. But as your mental state grows stronger with use and practise, you find yourself noticing the smaller things such as the way the sun feels on your skin or the wonder and beauty of nature all around us. You start to refocus on all the abundance in your life instead of what you are lacking. You will notice yourself becoming more present in your daily life and becoming aware of the small synchronicities rather than focusing on past experiences or fearing the future. My entire outlook on life changed and I found myself happier than I’d ever felt before even though the world was going through a global pandemic – isolated in our homes without physical and social contact from loved ones and experiencing loss all around us. These were unprecedented times in which our bodies were experiencing emotional stressors like never before, but I was feeling renewed with each passing day.
I won’t sit here and lie to you – by no means did I stick to 100 consecutive days (it is called a gratitude practise for a reason). But even if I missed a day or two, I came back to it again and again, and I’ve surpassed those initial 100 days. Your brain is a muscle which requires regular effort to see lasting change. All it takes is 5 minutes each day and you’ll eventually see improvement in your mental health and wellbeing, how you deal with adversity better, and building stronger relationships with yourself and those around you.
To help you get started on your gratitude practise we’ve attached a Daily Check-In Journal that you can print and follow each day. Start each morning by checking in with yourself and setting your intention for the day followed by a short reflection in the evening.
