The Power of Gratitude
Gratitude is a powerful and simple tool to improve your mindset and overall wellbeing. There have been many scientific studies about the health benefits of gratitude. It has been proven to increase happiness, openness to others, increased resilience, increases productivity, and improves self-esteem. Gratitude is an easy habit to foster with a few simple steps.
Gratitude Notebook - This is a personal choice and it is more important to focus on the regularity of the habit. The easiest way is to write a list of the things that you are grateful for in a small notebook. They can range from big to small things for example 'I'm grateful for living in a country that allows me freedom of choice', 'I am grateful for my parents and my siblings', 'I am grateful for the sunshine when I had my tea outside today'. Aim to write a list of 10 items. It can be more but should always be a minimum of 10. Set to a regular time to write your list - it can be first thing in the morning about the day before or the last thing you do before going to bed. I tend to do mine before going to sleep. Set a reminder in your calendar and keep the notebook some where easy to access. If you don't have your notebook to hand then jot your list in your phone and transfer it over later. It's great to flick through the notebook in a few months and be reminded of these amazing memories. Being grateful has been proven to improve sleep as it helps to quieten the mind before sleep.Gratitude Sharing - An alternative, or potentially an addition, to writing down your gratitude list is to create a sharing habit with friends and loved ones. At dinner, it would be easy to list 3 things each person is grateful for from their day. It creates a positive environment and connection between those present. It will deepen your relationships and help to build new ones.
Your personal awareness of abundance increases over a few weeks and this has been proven to make you more optimistic and empathize with others. You're more likely to exercise and make healthy food choices which will only increase your daily wellbeing.
