How to Practice Gratitude During Hard Times
Coronavirus. It’s rocking our world, changing the way we socialize, work, and care for our children, parents and friends. Uncertainty is challenging for our mental health and well-being and it often leaves us stuck in unproductive and even harmful thought patterns.
Mindfulness expert and author Julie Potiker offers two easy activities anyone can take today to start incorporating more gratitude into their life and change thought patterns to snap yourself out of negativity and create a fulfilling and healthy present.
“One simple way to get started with your very own gratitude practice is to start a journal dedicated entirely to gratitude,” says Julie. Make yourself write longhand instead of typing on a device. The physical act of writing has more benefits for your neural health than typing on a keyboard.” But if typing on a keyboard is the only way you are comfortable doing it, type away! It’s better to type than not doing it at all.“Then, pick one of these two writing exercises.”
Write down four things you are grateful for every day.
Answer two questions in your journal every night:
What are you grateful for today?
What did you enjoy today?
Notice times when you feel joy during the day. Take in that good mental state for a couple of breaths, allowing it to turn into a neural trait. What fires together wires together!
Before you go to bed at night, answer these two questions in your journal: What are you grateful for today? What did you enjoy today?
“There’s no ‘right way’ to do these exercises,” Julie explains. “You can jot down one-word answers, write whole paragraphs, or even draw a picture. And your ideas don’t have to be monumental, either. They could be as simple as feeling gratitude for resting your head on a comfy pillow, the sound of rain against your window, or the perfect cup of tea. Writing down what you are grateful for or what you were doing when you felt joy will open your heart to more happiness. If you can recreate the feeling of joy in your body when you remember the activity that you are writing about and you let it fill you up with gladness, you are rewiring your brain for more happiness and resilience a second time from the same joyful activity!”
Start your gratitude practice today and check in with yourself in about three weeks:
What positive differences are you noticing?
How do you feel?
“With something this simple and effective at your fingertips,” says Julie, “there’s no reason not to start improving your experience of life right here, today.”
Alleyoop is offering a free 30 page download of their Gratitude Journal to keep your spirits lifted during quarantine times. The Grateful Set encourages you to spend a little time each day reflecting on your goals and appreciating the good around you. Simply visit alleyoop.com and enter your email to download a printable journal.