Gratitude is the cure for comparison, but what is the right way to practice it? Keep reading for 5 ways to practice gratitude.
This Post is all about 5 Ways to Practice Gratitude and Live Happily
You don’t need to spend every day dwelling on the things you don’t have or how your life doesn’t stack up. Instead, you can be grateful for the things you do have while opening yourself up to the possibility of receiving more. Expressing gratitude doesn’t mean you’re settling for where you’re at. It means you are appreciative and excited for what’s next.
Benefits of a Gratitude Practice
There are a multitude of benefits to practicing gratitude, no longer feeling like a jealous miserable b*tch is just the icing on the cake. I used to live in a constant state of comparison (and let’s be honest, I still struggle with it). However, my gratitude practice gave me the tools I needed to mitigate this anxiety. Gratitude has a lot of proven health benefits and even impacts our relationships, to read more about the benefits of gratitude read our post “10 Unbelievable Gratitude Practice Benefits that Will Change Your Life”.
5 Ways to Practice Gratitude
So, what is the right way to practice gratitude? there is none. There are many ways to practice gratitude, whichever one feels both joyful and sustainable to you is correct.
1. Journalling
This is the most common way that people practice gratitude (aside from verbally). You can journal by creating a gratitude list and expressing why you’re grateful for each item. This is a great way to start the day and get yourself into a high-vibe place or even end the day by recapping the things you’re grateful for.
2. Gratitude Mapping
Think of this as a vision board but instead of adding photos of your goals you add photos of the things you already have that you’re grateful for. Gratitude mapping is a fun and visual reminder of all the blessings in your life. You can do this with physical photos or create a digital map using an app like Canva or even create a Pinterest board. If you’re more of a creative person this might be the perfect practice for you.
3. Meditation or Prayer
Call it meditation or call it prayer, whatever makes you comfortable, but carving out intentional time to sit with your gratitude is a great practice. Meditation is an excellent way to connect with our higher self, intuition, God, angels (or insert other belief here). Fostering that relationship gives us somewhere to turn to in moments of gratitude and allows us to sit with our gratitude and emotions on a deeper level. This ultimately opens us up to the possibility of receiving more.
4. Gratitude Jar
This is such a fun practice! You can use any jar (maybe something fancy and fun like this) and display it on a bookshelf or an altar if you keep one. Anytime you’re feeling gratitude for something or someone you write it on a piece of paper, fold it up, and put it in the jar. You can make this a monthly practice or you can wait until the end of the year to open your jar and look back on all of the things you were grateful for. This practice reminds you of the abundant life you’re living and allows you to slow down and appreciate the small moments.
5. Giving Back
Volunteering, donating, or offering services complimentary is an excellent way to show gratitude. Human beings are selfish. We’re constantly thinking about ourselves and what we want to receive and rarely thinking about what we can give. Giving back opens up our hearts, showcases our gratitude, and even boosts our manifestations (there’s a reason the saying “give and you shall receive” exists).
Getting Started
You’ve got some gratitude practice ideas but, how do you get started? Check out this FREE guide on building your own gratitude practice for journal prompts to get you started and set your intention.
This post was all about 5 Ways to Practice Gratitude and Live Happily
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