Gratitude | The Practice (Part 1)

“We are a nation hungry for more joy: Because we’re starving from a lack of gratitude.” – Brene Brown

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A regular gratitude practice can lower cortisol levels, the stress hormone, which contributes to reduced stress and anxiety. Reducing stress leads to greater relaxation and improved physical health. YES. PLEASE.

Incorporating gratitude into your daily routines doesn’t have to be complicated. This week, we’ll start to explore different ways to practice gratitude – finding a practice that best fits into your life.

Expression | Gratitude Journal, Letter, Notes App

One of the most powerful ways to practice gratitude and express appreciation, is to write it down. The science behind emotional processing through writing reveals its profound impact on mental health and overall well-being. For some, it may be easier, or feel safer, to express and process emotions non-verbally through writing.

The act of writing involves both emotional and cognitive engagement. This integration can enhance problem-solving abilities and decision-making by allowing emotions to process alongside rational thought. As a result, you’ll gain greater emotional intelligence and greater self-awareness.

Expressive writing has been linked to reduced physical symptoms in individuals with chronic illnesses. The stress-reducing effects of emotional expression can lead to improvements in immune function, lower blood pressure, and better sleep quality.

Writing Your Gratitude

Text/Notes | Though texting or journaling in your phone isn’t all the way the same as pen to paper, it absolutely counts toward your gratitude practice. If this feels more realistic to you, trust that.

Gratitude Journal | Remember that journal I asked you to grab? Let’s get to using it! For our time together (and hopefully beyond), write out at least 3 things you are grateful for in your life. As you begin your practice, start with things, people, moments that have made you feel good lately – leave judgment out of what comes to mind. This is a practice and there is no perfect.

Gratitude Jar | Similar to a gratitude journal, write your gratitude on sticky notes or pieces of paper and add them to a jar. This is fun for the whole family. When things are ebbing more flowing – go through your jar and remember life is here for you.

Check out my 28-day Gratitude Challenge for some inspiration!

Expression | Visualization & Meditation

Writing or journaling may not be your thing (or so you think!) and that is totally fine. Some find expressing gratitude verbally with another, or silently alone, helps process and feel emotion more effectively. By vividly picturing moments of gratitude, you can evoke strong positive emotions, reinforcing feelings of happiness and satisfaction.

Set aside 5 minutes each day to shift your focus and start your day with a mindset of appreciation and gratitude for the people and things in your life.

I’ll guide you through with this ​Daily Gratitude Meditation​.

Visualizations allow us a space to imagine scenarios where they feel grateful, which can intensify the emotional experience. This can be particularly useful when the outside world doesn’t feel great.

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The Practice | Living Gratitude

Let’s put the science of gratitude into practice and start to explore how this emotion impacts your mental and physical health, relationships, and overall well-being.

For this week’s Living Gratitude practice, choose your method of expressing gratitude to incorporate into each day. Set a timer for the same time each day – this begins to program the habit of looking for gratitude:

• Gratitude Journal
• Gratitude Jar
• Text/Notes App
• Handwritten Notes to People
• Mantra/ Affirmations
• ​Gratitude Meditation​

Our thoughts create our beliefs.
Our beliefs influence our behaviors and actions,
which then become our reality.