The complete guide to gratitude practices 

Why is thankfulness such a big deal? I will explain the definition of a gratitude practice, its significance, and how to start one in this post—along with some tips for more seasoned practitioners! There have been a lot of blogs lately about thankfulness and the advantages of cultivating it. You have undoubtedly seen coaches, presenters, and authors encouraging you to cultivate thankfulness if, like me, you are drawn to self-development websites (which, let us face it, you most likely are if you are reading this blog article!). Gratitude does not seem to improve life at first glance. It appears to be merely a means of being kind or courteous, but it is much more than that.

Why Gratitude

A particular attitude is shown in gratitude. Saying "I am thankful for X" or "I am grateful for Y" acknowledges the beneficial influence that X and Y have on my life. I am admitting that X and Y have improved my life. I can avoid taking X and Y for granted by doing this. I consider X and Y to be gifts rather than something I am entitled to.

Being thankful also makes it easier for me to concentrate on the good parts of my experience. The more I give thanks, the more I concentrate on the good things in my life. I can appreciate life more and turn difficult situations into opportunities and teaching moments the more I concentrate on the good. To put it briefly, when I am thankful, I am able to let go of the negative and retain the positive. I conducted a coaching session for the wonderful Shawna Ainslie in late 2016 while she was going through a tough time; you can see her post about how it helped her here. I advised her to change her experience by practicing thankfulness. I advised her to be thankful for the positive aspects of her experience whenever she began to feel anxious or sad. She wrote a blog post about what transpired next:

"I woke up the day after our conversation and the start of my thankfulness practice to find that two of my poems had been accepted for publication in a print journal. A local print journal later asked me to write an article. I was reminded of how long I have been trying to get back into print and how things get complicated when you put positive into practice. I should mention that Shawna has continued to use this technique more than a year after our session. She still finds it useful, and she has informed me that it is one of the few coaching or therapy techniques she has found useful throughout the years. A practice of appreciation can have that kind of impact. This is due to the fact that practicing thankfulness can help you change your perspective and gain momentum in your life. This affects relationships, business, creativity, and mental, physical, and emotional well-being. It may be applied in a variety of ways and is also very easy to execute.

How to Implement a Simple Gratitude Practice 

There are hundreds of blog entries about thankfulness, and there are just as many ideas about how to start practicing gratitude. I advise beginning simply if you are just getting started. The most straightforward is as follows: Take a breath when you wake up, right before bed, or both. List five things for which you are thankful. Declare out loud, "I am grateful for [insert whatever it is]," with sincerity. Write them down in a journal (ideally for 30 days) for more impact. These might be as simple as running water or a warm bed. They may be as large as a Fijian all-inclusive holiday. As long as you are truly thankful for the things, people, and experiences, it does not really matter how big or tiny they are.

When Gratitude Is Not Enough

As I have previously discussed in this essay, there is no magic bullet to change the way you think and feel. At different points in their lives, each person will require different practices. More than thankfulness will be required in some circumstances or experiences. This is due to the fact that showing and expressing active love begins with thankfulness. It will only have a limited effect on underlying problems or with more seasoned gratitude practitioners because it is just the beginning. In those situations, a person requires the "big guns" of transformation—"I love"—rather than just "I am thankful."

Everyone is aware of where they are in this process; if saying "I love" or "I am thankful" will be a better place to start or result in more significant change. It is all right. Start where you are and follow your own path to determine what suits you best. As someone who has been consistently practicing thankfulness, I found that in order to effect change, I required deeper emotions. The 2016 election campaign was really tough for me because I am a lover and a peacemaker. Since this is at the heart of who I am, I was truly uncomfortable with the fear, rage, condemnation, and hatred that people were experiencing. I have not experienced stress-related heartburn since January 2014, and it was giving me heartburn. In addition, I was suffering from awful insomnia.

Making myself some chamomile and connecting with my intuition helped me get through a period of insomnia. I suddenly realized that I was fighting the circumstances. I became aware that I was not showing love to everyone, and this was making me anxious. In addition to having an effect on my health—and if something affects my health, it affects every part of my life—I was becoming mired in hate, fear, and rage. I understood that I had to put love into the circumstance. Something needs love when it is broken or not functioning properly. It needs more love the more shattered it is.

For me, it was a revelation. I started saying unpleasant things that I did not realize I could say. "I love you [insert the name of the person who makes you sick]." I could not stop once I got going. I simply continued to talk about how much I liked this person, that person, this circumstance, that circumstance, and so forth. "I am thankful for [insert how these people and circumstances enhance my life]," I continued. Not only did my heartburn go away, but I felt amazing. I felt rejuvenated on all levels—emotionally, cognitively, and physically! It should come as no surprise that I returned to my bed, slept soundly through the remainder of the night, and woke up feeling refreshed the next morning.

From Here

Even though starting a thankfulness practice is easy and has many advantages (for a great illustration of how it can work, see Shawna's blog article again), it is just the first step towards changing your life. You can start to change your experience by regularly practicing appreciation. Even more deeply ingrained problems or skilled thankfulness practitioners can experience genuine transformation by expressing love in addition to gratitude. Please contact me to arrange a session here if you need assistance reframing things or if you are unsure how to begin a gratitude practice. I would be very delighted to assist you in achieving greater love and light in all facets of your life, and I can set you on that path!