The Gratitude Post
First a deep dive into gratitude and the psychology behind it can be found at: https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-appreciation/
This article is going to focus on ways to incorporate gratitude into your wellness routine so that you can reap all positive psychological benefits!
The gratitude journal - this is probably the most common way that people incorporate gratitude into their wellness routine. There are premade journals with gratitude prompts or just a plain old notebook will do. Once a day or week writing down things you are grateful for is a wonderful addition to any wellness routine.
Gratitude meditation - meditating on what or who we are thankful for can really allow us to deepen our gratitude. A meditation can also be done with a gratitude affirmation. Either way the person meditating may walk away from it with a sense of gratitude they did not have at the beginning. If this incorporated into your wellness routine on a regular basis, it can be very powerful.
Gratitude affirmations - Gratitude affirmations are positive statements that show gratitude. They can be broad such as “I am grateful for this day and the opportunities it brings” or specific such as “I am grateful for the new sweater I bought yesterday and the warmth it brings me.” Just like regular affirmations they can be used in a wellness routine by hanging around your house, making flash cards, making them your phone background, or meditating one them.
Daily communication of gratitude - This one is exactly as it sounds; communicating with one person a day on how you are grateful. Examples are calling a friend and telling them you are grateful they are in their life or telling the grocery store clerk you are grateful for the care they took in handling your groceries. Telling others how you are grateful for them will brighten your days and theirs.
Gratitude jar - a gratitude jar is taking every day things that you are grateful for writing them down on sheets of paper or note cards and putting them in the jar. You can add more and more on a regular basis and your jar will start to fill. On days where you feel less grateful or have had a hard day it is uplifting to take some of them out and read them as a reminder of the things in your life that you are thankful for.
Dinnertime gratitude - similar to what many families do on Thanksgiving, this part of a wellness routine involves going around the table and every member of the family listing one thing they are grateful for that day. This is a wonderful to have your spouse and/or children involved in the power of consistent gratitude.
Gratitude can be incorporated into a wellness routine in a variety of ways. It can help foster a positive mindset of abundance. Hopefully these ideas have helped spark a way for you to include gratitude into your wellness routine.
