Gratitude exercises

Experiencing and practicing gratitude has been demonstrated to be one of the most powerful predictors of pleasure and well-being.

How simple do you find it to be grateful in your own life? Can you quickly list people, places, and situations for which you are grateful? How often do you take a moment to pause and appreciate what you have?

There is a growing body of psychological research supporting the science of gratitude. Simple exercises like sending a thank you note or making a gratitude list have been demonstrated in studies to boost positive feelings while decreasing stress and anxiety.

The best thing is that these “gratitude exercises” need very little rehearsal time and are simple and easy to perform.

Here are a few gratitude exercises you may undertake daily:

• Say “Thank You” more frequently.
• Make a list of 5 persons for whom you are grateful (and why).
• Make a list of 5 experiences for which you are grateful (and why).
• Make a list of 5 things about yourself for which you are grateful (and why).
• Give back to your community by volunteering or donating to a charity.
• Consider how your life might be different if you didn’t have some items you take for granted (food, shelter, warmth, relationships, etc.).
• Write or send an e-mail thanking someone who has helped you in the past.
• Compose some music, art, or poetry and dedicate it to someone.
• Remind yourself of the basic joys in life.
  

None of these tasks are tough. However, if you take the time to put them into practice, they may make a significant difference in your daily life.

Do you believe you might gain from greater gratitude in your life? Then, every morning or night, set aside 5-10 minutes to practice these gratitude exercises.

Today, a growing number of individuals are taking advantage of gratitude exercises like these to enhance the quality of their lives.

We often struggle with happiness because we are always searching for more. We believe that if we get X or Y, we will finally be happy, but this is rarely the case.

The main factor to happiness is learning to be satisfied with what we already have, regardless of what it is or where we find ourselves in our life. If we can’t accomplish that, we’ll always be looking for more and never be satisfied.

These gratitude exercises will teach you how to be contented with your life exactly how it is.

I hope you enjoy practicing some of them and I am grateful for you having read this blog.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Yep feels good! Try it!

Keeping a Gratitude Journal is another great way to increase your wellbeing, read more about how to do this in my blog.