Practicing gratitude may seem daunting at first yet when you think about it you're probably already practicing it without noticing. Here are some ideas on how to incorporate gratitude into your life and one warning.
Thanking Others
One of the easiest ways to practice gratitude is to think of the wonderful people in your life. Many people struggle with practicing gratitude due to insecurities or life's struggles, yet most people can find someone in their life that they are thankful for. Often taking time to recognize the wonderful people in your life will help change your perspective on life. If you are wanting to look deeper you can consider those who have since left your life and remember their goodness, or even be grateful that someone has left your life. Try writing a thank you letter to someone in your life. You don't need to send it or in some cases you may not be able to.
Thanking Yourself
This is definitely an area that many people struggle with. Starting is often the hardest part yet over time you are able to change the way you think about yourself and learn to appreciate who you are, and where you are. In the beginning if you are struggling try making a list of things you like about yourself. Start with parts of yourself that you are already confident about. As you take time to focus on the good things about yourself and gain confidence more areas of confidence will come to light.
Here are some ideas you may want to look into:
talents
personality traits
creativity
the way you treat others
values
passions
skills
There are many areas other than the obvious looks that can make a person confident. Our world today only seems to have the attention span of a few second, because of which it seems that physical appetences are being given more value than they should. Since we have such a focus on looks, beauty has become a huge insecurity to many people. They say that it takes 7 compliments to make up for one insult although I don't know how accurate that is. Try complimenting 7 things about yourself every time you are self critical. These compliments don't need to be about physical attributes but over time you may start to notice how beautiful you are. The purpose of this activity is not to invalidate your insecurities but to realize you are so much more than just your flaws.
Thanking the World
Depending on your situation being grateful for life and things outside of your control may be difficult, and it is important to remember when practicing gratitude that bad things still happen. By acknowledging the good in your life you are often able to get yourself out of a negative funk once the original emotions have fun their course. I like to create gratitude lists to see the good in the world or to bring some positivity into my life.
Here are some list ideas:
Happy memories
Your favorite pretty things
Things you're excited for
Your favorite snacks (write while eating at least one)
Good childhood memories
Things that make you laugh
Places that comfort you
The little joys of life
Warning
Though gratitude is an amazing practice that I love, it can be taken too far. I have seen many people who practice gratitude fall into the trap of toxic positivity. It is important to feel all your emotions, the good, bad, and ugly. Toxic positivity ignores all other emotions often causing the negative emotions to come back stronger. All of our emotions have meaning and deserve our attention. I explore my feelings when they come up, looking into why I'm feeling it, and identifying the exact feeling. Yet there are also times where you will feel bad for no particular reason and that is valid as well. I always take hard days as a warning to slow down and relax. Your feelings are valid and all deserve to be felt.
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