Since January 1, 2014, I’ve maintained a daily gratitude practice.
Each night before I go to sleep, as part of My Daily Recap journaling ritual, I list at least 3 things I’m grateful for.
When I’m having a bad day, sometimes it makes me feel better to count my blessings and notice what I have in my life that I can appreciate.
And, to be honest, sometimes it doesn’t.
Sometimes the practice of listing my gratitude feels forced.
Here are three small shifts I’ve implemented that have changed my gratitude game and have helped make my practice more meaningful.
(1) Get Specific
When I’m reflecting on what or who I’m grateful for, it helps me to get very specific.
For example, instead of being grateful for “my friends,” I think of a specific friend for whom I’m grateful.
Instead of being grateful that I have food to eat, I think of a specific food I ate that day, and how it tasted, and how it satisfied my hunger in the moment.
(2) Give a Reason
Sometimes, it’s nice to hear “I appreciate you.” Full stop, without a reason. There’s something about this that, when we hear it, reinforces our feeling of enoughness. It reminds us that we don’t need to do anything to earn appreciation.
That said, I find it helpful when I’m thinking about what and who I’m grateful for to give a reason.
Why am I grateful for the sun rising in the morning? Why am I grateful for this particular friend on this day?
When it comes to appreciation for other people, I find it helps to focus the reason on how the person made me feel, rather than what the person did. It’s subtle, but a huge difference.
This is where those feel-good endorphins arise.
This also leads in to tip number 3.
(3) Express Your Gratitude
When you feel appreciation for someone else, let them know. And let them know a specific reason why.
I’ve found that actually expressing my gratitude to someone, with a reason why I’m grateful for them, floods me with the feel-good emotions that are often touted as the benefits of a gratitude practice.
On the receiving end, I always find it helpful to know what, specifically, people appreciate me for, and how I make them feel. It helps me understand better the value I bring to others and what they see in me.
If you’re feeling stagnant in your gratitude practice, try these 3 tips. And share in the comments what you noticed.
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