This 'Self-Care Sunday,' I will share some ways to recognize gratitude in your life!
Gratitude
First, let's define what it means to be grateful. Simply put, it is to have an understanding and appreciate for something in life. Often, life seems to be flying by and we only recognize the big things that we may be grateful for; this leads to many missed opportunities to slow your pace and appreciate the little things in life that create the big picture.
Benefits of Gratitude
By recognizing what you are grateful for, it is shown to increase long-term happiness, develop our personality, increases our optimism, increases spiritualism, reduced stress, increased self-care, decreased envy, shift inner attention away from negative emotions, and more!
Ways to Practice Gratitude
Gratitude Journaling - writing down three things you are grateful for and why you are grateful for it. Note: there are countless ways to create a gratitude journal, I suggest looking up, 'gratitude journaling' in Pinterest and picking which one suits your needs.
Playing the 'Gratitude Game'
Grateful Thoughts - sometime during your morning routine, think about three things you are grateful for, allow your thoughts to challenge this. What about those things are you grateful for and why?
Write Thank-You Notes - to people in your life you are grateful for.
Notice What Needs are Being Met - see 'Recognizing & Appreciating Your Needs' section.
'I Am Grateful For' - activity sheet
Gratitude Jar - Create a jar and every time something happens that you are grateful for, write it down and put it in your gratitude jar. If you are having a down day take some time to read a few things you have been grateful for.
“Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart.”
―Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
Recognizing & Appreciating Your Needs
As 'Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs' explains, our basic needs must be met before achieving psychological and self-fulfillment needs.
By being grateful for the process of life and recognizing the little wins throughout each step we can then bring awareness to the pure abundance of gratitude. Acknowledging your needs from your basic needs up, you can then recognize what things you may need to focus more efforts on and what needs you have met and can appreciate.
Life is full of many positive takeaways, and by being grateful for the things you have accomplished and your needs that are met, you can move forward and strive for growth and new goals while recognition what you are grateful for.
You are capable of meeting your needs, and you are worthy of it. With gratitude throughout the process, we can learn to appreciate and be aware of life's beauty in the journey.
Thought Co. Illustrates the 'Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs' Diagram
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
―Eckhart Tolle,A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
Let's Be Grateful
Life carries an abundance of things to be grateful for, the skill behind it is being aware of them. Let's take time for ourselves and think about what we are grateful for.
Thank you for letting me share some ways to cultivate your moments.
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