6 simple ways to become more grateful
One of the most powerful ways to rewire the brain for more joy and less stress is to focus on gratitude.
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Earlier this year, I wrote about importance of cultivating gratitude in daily living. Here are 6 simple ways to become more grateful:
Keep a gratitude journal. Establish a daily practice in which you remind yourself of the gifts, grace, benefits, and good things you enjoy. Recalling moments of gratitude associated with ordinary events, your personal attributes, or valued people in your life gives you the potential to interweave a sustainable theme of gratefulness into your life. [Check out how to access this feature in Quimby on your desktop!]
Remember the bad. To be grateful in your current state, it is helpful to remember the hard times that you once experienced. When you remember how difficult life used to be and how far you have come, you set up an explicit contrast in your mind, and this contrast is fertile ground for gratefulness.
Ask yourself three questions. Meditate on your relationships with parents, friends, siblings, work associates, children, and partners using these three questions: “What have I received from __?”, “What have I given to __?”, and “What troubles and difficulty have I caused?”
Share your gratitude with others. Research has found that expressing gratitude can strengthen relationships. So the next time your partner, friend, or family member does something you appreciate, be sure to let them know.
Connect with your senses. Through our senses — the ability to touch, see, smell, taste, and hear — we gain an appreciation of what it means to be human and the experience of being alive.
Use visual reminders. Because the two primary obstacles to gratefulness are forgetfulness and a lack of mindful awareness, visual reminders can serve as cues to trigger thoughts of gratitude. Often, the best visual reminders are other people.
