Let's Practise Gratitude


I first wrote about gratitude on my old blog, before it was painted over and updated. Whilst it was a reasonable post about the benefits of being thankful, I don't feel like it fully addressed the wrestling match that gratitude can be in our mind, and the steady commitment we must make to the practise. 

Naturally the benefits that people receive in their life will affect their ability to be grateful. If you are down on you luck I fully understand that it will be that much harder to find something. But there is always something. 

I am in a very fortunate position right now, and have been for a lot of my life. I was born into an incredible amount of privilege, and given opportunities that I could never have fathomed; I just generally feel very lucky. But my life is not perfect, please don't take the shiny veneer of social media to think it is. I work hard at recognising where I am blessed, and changing or reframing the situations where I am not. Gratitude takes effort, it takes practise. It requires the time to be able to step back and say "what am I thankful for?" 

Gratitude benefits ourselves, and it benefits others. When we are grateful we are more likely to appreciate the people around us, and tell them how thankful we are for their presence in our lives. Gratitude makes us happier, healthier, and far more pleasant to be around.
Struggling to remember to be grateful? Place a notebook by your bed, and every night write three things you are thankful for that day. They can be big or small, frivolous or serious. Whatever comes to mind, write it down and reread whenever you feel that you have forgotten how lucky you are. 

If you're having a really bad day make a list of good and bad things. The good must outnumber the bad, but give yourself the space to recognise what you are struggling with. I find my most profound gratitude comes when I recognise that not everything is perfect, because it makes me all the more thankful for the things that make me happy.

And don't forget to actually say it. Say thank you for your parents for supporting you, your friends for happy memories, your colleagues for inspiring you. Gratitude is a gift that keeps on giving. Why not pass it on? 


1 comment:

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and share your thoughts with me. I read and reply to each and every one.