We’re all taught our Ps and Qs from a young age.
Gratitude and saying “thank you” is, after all, a personal and collective value for many of us.
But how good are we at actually practicing gratitude?
The reality is many of us are overwhelmed, frustrated, or just caught up in the daily grind of life. It’s easy to lose sight of the good things in life when there are so many pressures and demands.
Or, you might just have a hard time staying focused on the present, always looking ahead to what’s next.
And that’s where a gratitude practice can help. It’s a powerful tool to shift your mindset, boost your mental well-being, and help you focus on what truly matters.
Here’s how to start a gratitude practice today.
What Science Tells Us About Gratitude
Let’s start with the why before the what.
Science has a lot to say about why gratitude is so important in your life. Studies show that gratitude may:
- Help build high-quality interpersonal relationships.
- Improve mental health and decreases depression and anxiety.
- Increase self-esteem (the study used athletes as the subject).
- Support physical health through stronger immune systems and decreased blood pressure.
- Improve overall well-being.
- Build strong neural connections to brain regions associated with moral cognition and value judgment.
- Strengthen sleep quality and duration.
The list here could go on, but you get it—gratitude is beneficial to your overall health and well-being.
And, because of that, it can have major impacts on both your personal and professional life.
Some examples of how developing a regular gratitude practice can positively impact your daily life include:
- Stronger relationships with loved ones, friends, and colleagues.
- Increased ability to handle stress, anxiety, and conflict.
- Improved work-life balance.
- Optimism about future career possibilities.
- Contentment about how things are; less striving to “keep up with the Jones’.”
- More physical energy and strength to go about your daily activities.
A lot of the benefits of gratitude are relational. It helps you be the best version of yourself so you can interact with others in the best possible way.
More than that, building a gratitude practice is easier with other people. Consider sharing your “gratitude mission” with people you’re close to so they can join you. Further, think about the environments and places you frequent—are they positive and supportive? Do they help boost your gratitude mindset?
Community matters. The people you surround yourself with can help support a positive gratitude mindset or challenge it.
In fact, community is so important that it’s one of our three pillars of The Post. We are grateful for this open, encouraging, and supportive community of professionals.
12 Gratitude Practices
For the reasons above, gratitude can be a transformational force in your life. And, luckily, cultivating gratitude practices doesn’t have to be something overly challenging.
There are many simple and effective ways to incorporate gratitude into your life. Here are 12 of them:
- Saying “Thank-You”: Back to the basics here. Make an intentional effort to regularly thank people in your life, including service workers like baristas and bus drivers. Saying “thank you” out loud helps train your brain to make gratitude a habit.
- Make a vision board: A lot of people use vision boards to help them set and reach future goals. But, it can also be a visual reminder of everything you’re grateful for. Fill yours up with past accomplishments, people, situations, or opportunities you’re grateful for.
- Volunteering: The connection between community and mental health is well-documented. By “paying it forward” to help other people, you’re putting your gratitude for the positive things you have into practice.
- Meditation: Slowing down and taking some time for intentional gratitude is a wonderful practice. If you’re new to meditation and mindfulness, consider using a guided app like Calm.
- Call or text someone: A quick call or text message to express gratitude can go a long way. To build this into a regular practice, put something on your calendar every day or week to remind you to pick up the phone and thank someone.
- Gratitude countdown: Gratitude can be a powerful antidote to stress or anxiety. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a 10-count pause. As you count backward from 10, focus on something you’re grateful for at each number. It will help slow your racing thoughts and come back to what’s most important.
- Journaling: Some people find meditation hard and prefer to write their thoughts in a journal. This is also a meditative practice, as you’re being intentional and mindful. Spend a few moments each day writing down things you’re grateful for. You can also do a month-end or year-end review with some larger-scale gratitude options.
- Give a gift: Show your thanks with a gift. Something like a home-cooked meal or some flowers will demonstrate gratitude to people who’ve helped and supported you.
- Internal Gratitude: Gratitude practices start in the mind. Whenever you think of it, pause and remember what you’re grateful for. For example, you might be driving to work and notice how beautiful the sunshine is that day. Or, you go out for food and have a delicious meal. These are small moments to be grateful for things in your life.
- Email your colleague: Gratitude practices should be brought to the workplace, too. Make it a point to regularly email (or phone, text, in-person chat) your colleagues to thank them for their help or insight.
- Gratitude Jar: Every time you’re grateful for something, write it on some paper and put it in a jar. You’ll soon start to see it build up over the weeks, providing a powerful reminder of everything you’re grateful for. This is a great one to do together with a family and children, too.
- Writing Notes: Who doesn’t love a thoughtful, handwritten note? Buy some thank-you notecards and keep them handy. Then, use them to show genuine gratitude to someone who deserves it.
Start one of these simple gratitude practices today and see what it does in your life. Gratitude has the power to change a negative mindset for a positive one—something we all need a little more of.
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