3 Ways To Start Practicing Gratitude Everyday

“Practicing” gratitude is something that sounds super “woo-woo” and silly on the surface. Who does that? Why? Is it really even a thing? And how is it something that someone practices?

These are some of the questions I had when I realized I could use gratitude to help me reduce stress, see more silver linings, and ultimately improve how I interacted with others and went through the world. So, I completely understand how others find it nearly impossible to start a gratitude practice especially when the world throws us monkey wrenches every other day.

But, as someone who’s crafted it into a bit of a formula to help myself and others, I know it’s a tool which can be truly life changing.

However, it’s not the easiest to start especially when it’s easy to confuse being thankful with cultivating gratitude.

What’s The Difference Between Being Thankful & Gratitude?

One of the best breakdowns of the difference between being thankful and gratitude I’ve found was by Susan Rhoads, LCSW in this article where she shared:

“Gratitude is more than just the feeling of thankfulness. Being thankful is the first step, and we have to have that initial feeling to build upon. We build upon it by redirecting our focus into making gratefulness an intrinsic part of our lives 365 days a year. Gratitude requires us to stay alert of the role of others in our lives. This is different from the fleeting nature of the act of a mere ‘thank you’ or feeling thankful one day of the year. Through gratitude, we get to make a sense of our lives and learn to credit our loved ones with the appreciation they deserve.”

“The key is keeping gratitude at the forefront of our lives. It’s not just thinking about how thankful we are to have all that we have. It’s about living out that gratitude through the simple things we do every day. Gratitude is the manifestation of love, devotion and commitment towards those who mean the most to you.”

Putting It In Practice

Here are 3 Ways to Start Practicing Gratitude Everyday Even When it Seems Impossible:

1. Stop JUST Saying Thank You

The most basic of etiquette teachings instills the importance of saying thank you to others. The reason behind it is not rocket science.

But at this point it’s simply become a reflex rather than something we mindfully say. Much like saying “Bless You” after someone sneezes.

My challenge to those looking to feel more in life through the use of gratitude is to stop JUST saying thank you. No, don’t use other words or add more to the statement.

Instead, look the person who you are saying it to in the eyes and connect with them for a second while saying it. Admittedly, it’s weird at first because of the slightly deeper than surface level intimacy experienced. But, it’s a simple act that can help remind us of the humane acts we do for each other in the name of gratitude. Try it.

2. One Minute Morning Mental Exercises

I’m a firm believer that the way you start the day will steer how the rest of the day will go. While there are definitely things that can derail the attempt, you can certainly try your best to lay a good foundation.

When I am in a mental rut and can feel the roots of negativity starting to set in for longer than I want, I start my mornings by doing one minute exercises. I do one in particular before I even get out of the bed.

As soon as I open my eyes, I look out the window towards the sky and think of one simple thing that I am truly grateful for. I try to hold the thought of that thing in my head for up to a minute. I even mentally repeat the words “I am grateful for XYZ” over and over again while gazing out the window. Once the minute is up, I get out the bed and start my day as normal.

The simple act of thinking about something that brings me joy as soon as I wake calms me down. It hijacks the loop of negative thoughts that can creep up and lays the foundation of how I want to go about the day. This is something anyone can try.

3. A Gratitude Journal

The first time I heard about a gratitude journal, it was during one of Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday shows many years back. At the time, I was going through a lot of life changes and was finding it hard to find a list of positive things to constitute buying a book and writing them down. Or so I thought.

While watching the show, Oprah shared some of the things she would write in her journal. And for a Billionaire, I was shocked how simple they were. They were things like the flowers she saw when on a walk, or the vegetables she was able to buy from a new store. Things we could all relate to and experience even in our own lives.

So, I started writing down a couple of things that brought me joy and deepened my feelings of gratitude towards life, nature, or other people. Nothing fancy.

The taste of a speciality pizza that I discovered. The way my son looked at me through the rearview mirror while I was driving. I wrote it down when I could remember. Either with paper and pen or in my phone.

After a while, it was almost as if I started to condition my brain to see these little pieces of life happening for me, even when I thought it was against me. Plus, I could refer back to those moments when I looked at my list.

In the end, this became one of the most powerful steps in changing how I thought about gratitude.

After employing these and a couple of other steps and tools, I crafted my default formula of sorts to reboot myself using gratitude when I was feeling down. This practice is ultimately what I used to create my Gratitude for Stress Relief Workshop, to help others.

When I first became a Certified Health Coach, I thoroughly believed there was a straight line to health by following a particular protocol. However, I realized helping people figure out what to eat was far from enough to make sustainable change. So, I decided to go deeper to find what could truly help bring peace and ultimately lead to a wellness focused life. Cultivating a Practice of Gratitude became one of the most effective keys in the process.

Stay well and speak soon.