Deliberate Connection with Gratitude
Feb 24, 2022
We know what it feels like to be grateful toward someone. The warm-fuzzies felt in the body, maybe a smile on your face, or perhaps the sentimental “happy tears”. It feels good, right?
But did you know that there is a science to actively practicing gratitude that brings a whole host of benefits? Research shows that if we deliberately practice daily gratitude, we may improve:
- sleep quality
- emotion regulation
- mood (i.e., happier and more satisfied)
- sense of hope
- resilience, and
- our ability to cope with stress and symptoms of PTSD
Recently, it was discovered that, by remembering a good deed you did for someone else, and how it felt to receive their gratitude, you actually get 2 times the benefits!
So how does one deliberately practice gratitude? It all starts by setting aside some time to get in touch with those nice feelings associated with gratitude.
Below are some ideas of where to start, and for a complete list, download my PDF.
Deliberate Gratitude Exercises:
- make a list of people who were kind to you - write what their kindness was
- jot down 3 things in the past 24 hours that happened to you that make you feel happy, content, etc., and that you would like to continue
- write down one thing that happened recently that upset you - then write how it may be a “blessing” in disguise
Download my Gratitude Exercises PDF here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-K4Rg_74toquia0EvU3kzXyTH8X590gc/view?usp=drivesdk
