Practicing gratitude has many benefits, but we forget to do this daily. You’ve probably tried many ways to feel more grateful but sometimes forget to make it a habit. I made the practice of gratitude a part of my daily habits, and I wanted to share my list of 4 ways to be more grateful.
If you ever feel sad or depressed in your present moment and you don’t know what to do. The best thing to do at that moment is to be more grateful. Being grateful has changed my life, my mindset and my faith. When I practice what I describe below, I feel more love, aliveness and joy.
Practicing gratitude is one of the things you should be doing every day. If you skip it, you can sometimes feel down just because you forgot to give thanks to the universe. So without further ado, here are the four ways you can practice to be more grateful.
Prayers of thanks and meditation
Every morning, no matter where I am, I read a verse in the bible that will make me feel grateful for Jesus Christ. Afterwards, I would meditate on the word and pray, give thanks for another day. After praying, I open my eyes with a smile, which makes me feel joyful.
Praying is something that I have been doing ever since I was young. Sometimes we’re not conscious of it, but we pray all the time, but we sometimes pray to ask things. But, a small prayer like thank you God for another day or thank you for my health will boost joy in your life.
I practice meditation a lot in 2020, especially during this moment, where you can’t control your feelings. Meditation opens the door to the present moment; I feel more present after a good 15-30 minutes of meditation. I am aware of my feelings and emotions, and breathing through it helps me communicate with my body.
So when you start feeling yourself, your inner body. You realize how alive you are, how healthy and blessed you are to feel this way. Practicing meditation has many health benefits too, so if you haven’t tried it, you can use apps to help you through the journey, like Calm.
Keeping a gratitude journal.
I don’t use this method every day, but I use it whenever I feel sad. When my heart breaks or when I’m irate, I pick a pen, open my gratitude journal, and start writing my thoughts.
These thoughts aren’t always positive. Even though they can be hurtful at times, I always end it with a grateful note. E.g. I would regret an action that I did during the day, and at night, I would write about it and write how that made me feel. At the end of the journal, I write a small prayer, like although these are all the feelings I’m feeling, I’m grateful for experiencing this.
Also, you can write about what you currently have; I call it “Counting my blessings” in my journal. It’s sometimes repetitive because I end up feeling thankful for my family, friends, or even colleagues. I write how I’m grateful for what I have and what I don’t have, and repeating this reminds me of the good times I had and that good times will soon come.
If you don’t have a gratitude journal, I highly advise that you get one ASAP! Or you can start by writing a small sentence on what you’re grateful for, and you will notice how this helps you feel more grateful.
Helping someone in need makes you feel grateful.
Alright, you’re probably thinking, what does helping someone make me feel more grateful? Well, let me explain. When you help a stranger or a friend in need, you will be more thankful for being able to help.
You can be helping your friend financially, emotionally or just by giving them small advice. Doing this will help you see what you can do, and by doing it, you will thank God for allowing you to help a friend. They might pray for you to have more, and this will be coming back as a reward.
You don’t always have to give something material. You can also give words of affirmation, e.g. you’re beautiful, thank you for being my friend. I appreciate you. Doing this will make the other person feel blessed and happy to have you around.
When you help or give to someone without waiting for something in return, you will be more blessed, and more will be given to you.
Being grateful to others.
It’s good to give, but it’s also good to receive. I remember I had difficulty accepting help, a ride or compliments. Once I realized that the person also needed to feel blessed when they gave, I decided that it was my birthright to receive without stressing to give back.
Of course, you will have your chances to give back in your way. However, if you were like me, you should be able to receive freely without feeling like you’re taking too much.
When someone opens the door for you, say thank you. When someone speaks life into you, you should also be able to say thank you, I appreciate you. Practice being comfortable to say thank you when someone helps you or compliments you.
Last words
I always put myself in a state of gratefulness because it has helped me change my emotions. When I’m sad, I can do many things that can make me feel better. But I found that I attract positive energy when I’m grateful to God, my life, and people around me, even strangers.
When you start practicing gratitude, you will feel relieved that some of your issues have passed and that all you have to do is focus on the present moment. Since you’ve realized that your problems today could be worse, you will understand that your worries are meaningless. Practicing gratefulness every day has helped me shut down the negative narrative inside of me.
On a side note, if your heart is sad because of a dispute between a friend or a family member, you have to forgive. You can either talk to them about your feelings or forgive them without them asking for it. That’s the bonus, a boost that will relieve your heart from sadness and will promote happiness and gratefulness.
If you missed it, here’s last week’s article that might help you understand the side note, how to keep going when your own family won’t support you.
If you have more ways to feel more grateful, please share it with me by leaving a comment below <3
