Gratitude Practice

New research is beginning to explore how experiencing gratitude can work to improve mental health. There is even a suggestion that it may alter the brain itself as well as individual experiences of life.

People who undertake a Gratitude Practice are deliberately shifting their attention away from negativity and from toxic emotions such as resentment and envy. Writing about how grateful you are seems to make it considerably harder to ruminate or obsess on negative experiences.Research using an MRI scanner has detected that people who experience and feel gratitude show a greater neural sensitivity in the brain areas associated with learning and decision-making.

Put simply: experiencing gratitude regularly makes you feel good. And the more you experience it, the better you feel. Over time it can have a profound effect on how much you enjoy your life and the people around you. It can improve your sleep, your eating habits, your relationships and your peace of mind. So give it a try! Here is how.

Make space in a notebook or an online document. Call this your Gratitude Diary.
At the end of each and every day, write down 3 things you are grateful for that day. These can be practical things (eg. my train arrived on time; partner cooked my dinner; a successful meeting). They can be simple things (eg. my neighbour saying hello; the sunset this evening; a cup of tea after a long day). They could be universal things (eg. clean air to breath; freedom of expression; fresh water to drink). Or you might reflect on the people and animals in your life (eg. my generous dad; a hug from my sister; the excited welcome home from the dog). Or a combination of these.
Try to use positive language - "a stunning sunset", "cool fresh water", "my funny, kind sister", "my cuddly cat". Really think about what makes you feel grateful and glad and use the best words you can.
After writing the 3 things, sit back and read them through. Allow the feeling of gratitude to expand through your mind and into your body. Can you feel your throat softening? Or your solar plexus relax? Is your heart opening? Don't worry if you can't feel anything at first, it can take time before the changes kick in.
Repeat this as often as you can. Notice any changes you may experience. Are you finding that when something nice happens to you during the day you think "Oh, I can record that later"? Are you appreciating more things about your life and the people in it?
There will be days when you feel like there is nothing whatsoever to be glad about, when it feels as if everything has gone wrong and the world is against you. We all have days like this. When life feels bleak it can be a real challenge to find something to be grateful for. The things I find myself reaching for are always the really simple, basic ones "a roof over my head", "eyes to see with, ears to hear", "air to breathe". If you really can't write anything, just read back over what you have written in your diary. It may help you through and remind you that tomorrow is another day.
Enjoy this practice and the changes it may make to your wellbeing. You could expand it to 5 things a day. Or start numbering cumulatively and see if you can get to 100, 500 - or more.

There are many books you can read about gratitude which can inspire and support you. Please see Resources where there is also an excellent journal-format book for children.