Challenges and obstacles are part of life school. If we choose to focus only on the aspects of life that present as anxiety, pain, or stress, life can quickly begin to feel overwhelming.
Gratitude is being thankful. A gratitude practice brings thankfulness to the front of your mind on a regular basis. It helps you to look at the positive things in your life.
A gratitude practice supports a shift in your perspective and can help you to begin the process of releasing a sense of overwhelm.
The Benefits of Gratitude
Focusing on gratitude can bring you a variety of benefits. Researchers have determined that the benefits can include:
- increased mental, physical and psychological health
- enhanced empathy
- reduced aggression
- increased happiness
- increased optimism
- improved sleep
- increased and improved relationships
Use these links if you want study specific information: Forbes, Harvard Health, Healthline
How to Create Your Gratitude Practice
A gratitude practice can take many forms. For some, a personal journaling pratice works well. This may include literally counting your blessings at the end of the day. It may also be recalling a set amount of blessings at the end of each day. Making a list of three things for which you were grateful during the day seems to be a suggestion that I see often.
You may make a mental note of your appriciation for those around you as you move through your day. Your quiet practice still brings benefits.
A way to share those thoughts, and your gratitude practice, with others could be writing and sending thank you notes.
Prayer and meditation allow for gratitude to rest in your mind and on your heart in a unique way. You may choose to incorporate one or both of these practices. Your choice may vary from day to day depending on your circumstances.
The important thing to remember as you create your gratitude practice is that it is personal. Any way that you choose to create your practice is correct.
Being Realistic
A gratitude practice is not meant to be spiritual bypassing or ignoring the realities of life. This is not the purpose, nor does that make a realistic practice. The purpose of a gratitude practice is to remind us that, in spite of challenges and set backs, there are always opportunities for gratitude.
The people and things that stimulate feelings of gratitude may also help you identify unhealthy or unsafe situations. A gratitude practice is not designed to reframe your feelings or concerns. Recognize what your relationships, work and personal, bring and when it may be time to release them.
Seek out resources to support your need for change. These are the things for which you may feel the most gratitude.
Gratitude and the Reiki Principles
I was first introduced the the concept of a gratitude practice during my first degree Reiki training in 1997. The practice was reinforced in each training and I now share it with my students.
Gratitude, giving thanks for your many blessings, is a part of the Reiki Principles, or precepts as they are also known. This is a set of 5 principles said to have been communicated by the founder of Reiki, Dr. Mikao Usui as a way to lead a lifetime of health and happiness.
The Reiki principles start with Just for today, or some translations say Today only. This reminds us of the importance of living in the moment, of being present with what is happening now.
The 5 Reiki principles are:
- Just for today, I will not worry.
- Just for today, I will not anger.
- Just for today, I will do my work honestly.
- Just for today, I will give thanks for my many blessings.
- Just for today, I will be kind to my neighbor and all living things.
Being grateful for what is happening today helps to keep you focused on what you have now, not what you had or what may come.
Maintaining a Gratitude Practice
Maintaining your practice allows the benefits you receive to continue, and to grow. It does not matter as much if you choose sharing your gratitude out loud with others daily or writing your gratitude in a personal space. What matters is turning to your practice each day.
I created the Attitude of Gratitude journal for you with this in mind. It includes weekly and seasonal gratitude prompts along with space to note your daily thoughts. You can download your copy here.
In Reflection
Gratitude is being thankful.
Studies show that benefits come from being grateful. They may include increased health overall, enhanced empathy, and improvement in sleep, optimism, and relationships. They also show gratitude can lead to a reduction in feelings and actions of aggression.
A gratitude practice is personal. You may choose to include journaling, quiet reflection, or sharing thank you notes.
A realistic gratitude practice recognizes the challenges of life and situations from which you may need to create some distance. It does not ask you to stay in unhealthy or unsafe situations.
I Am Grateful
Many years ago I experienced an injury that has left residue in the form of ongoing physical issues. While this brings challenges, I am grateful for the benefits that came from it. I was able to spend some quality time with a family member before they passed, I deepened my meditation practice and became a certified meditation teacher, and I expanded my herbal eduction as I learned ways to support myself and others.
I have experienced the dark in different ways during my life. I have also received so many blessings, beginning with the opportunity to experience life. My gratitude practice is in place to remind me that there is a balance.
I am grateful for the incredible people in my life, the benefits of my personal wellness practices, and the ability to share them with you.
All posts at feelcalmclearandconnected.com are created by a human.
Photographs and other graphics used here and not otherwise identified are either my personal photographs and graphic design or accessed through the public domain.
The information included in this blog should not be used as medical advice. Seek immediate assistance from a licensed professional in the case of a medical emergency. Consult with your physician regarding medical questions.