I find when I pause to give thanks, I benefit with releases, gifts and inner peace. These are precious, and so needed! That’s why gratitude is a daily ritual practice for me.
Thanksgiving is a day specifically ‘named’ for thanks giving… gratitude giving. It was created with the intention that people pause to give thanks, and express gratitude. And that can get lost in the musts and stuff of that day. The hectic stuff of holidays sometimes sidetracks the day from a gratitude day. Like cooking, gathering, eating, traveling … often a busy day.
There’s value in remembering what you value. And appreciating with thanks. Think more people are appreciating little things these days. I am.
My daily gratitude practice is foundational routine for me. It’s a reality check, and helps my perspective setting.
It sets a tone for my day. And that tone leads to the next day. And that leads to the next day… and on.
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” —Robert Brault
My gratitude journaling is often brief and part of my morning journaling practice. It’s efficient that way too :). I list what supports, helps and gives me joy or a gift of some kind. Like being able to walk pain free after recovering from an injury. Or a serene view that lifts me (mountains do that for me). My list usually has people, animals and nature.
What’s on your gratitude list? It’s a great way to lift from depression, or a tough time.
Here’s a start:
List what makes you grateful.
Pause, sit back and notice what’s listed. What’s important to you now? Your present moments.
Lightly anchor and reflect on what gives you joy, or lightness. How does that thing, person, animal or experience make you feel better?
Journaling was new for me when I started over a decade ago. I started journaling after reading Julie Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way. In her book, she details her Morning Pages process. Discovering the book was a godsend, as I was in the midst of a life transition and difficult time. The Morning Pages (MP) can be like an emotional and mental brain dump. Nice to get it out. And MP offers a creative writing outlet. Creativity is an often overlooked energy and life fuel booster.
Here’s Julie’s description of her Morning Pages process. It’s a simple process, just write 3 pages each morning:
“Pages clarify our yearnings. They keep an eye on our goals. They may provoke us, coax us, comfort us, even cajole us, as well as prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. If we are drifting, the pages will point that out. They will point the way True North. Each morning, as we face the page, we meet ourselves. The pages give us a place to vent and a place to dream. They are intended for no eyes but our own.”
― Julia Cameron
Another good practice is an evening bedtime gratitude scan. It’s a practice designed to open up new levels of consciousness. Done before slipping into sleep and dreams.
I learned this evening gratitude practice from Deepak Chopra several years ago. Deepak mentioned a bedtime practice he does in a program about consciousness, well-being and dream states. All those topics interest me, as does getting good sleep.
Here’s the evening gratitude practice:
When in bed and ready to slip into sleep, do a 3 minute gentle scan of your day.
Recall things that you feel grateful for. Can be tiny things, like a hug, new awareness, something we do on autopilot. Those often hidden jewels, for the moment. Earlier this year I couldn’t sleep or walk without pain due to a herniated disc. I’m now grateful to walk pain free.
Open that energy from the heart, and let it flow to your head, body and spirit.
Slip into sleep, and no problem if you feel asleep while doing this.
Another gratitude quote that resonate for me:
“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.”
—William Faulkner
Gratitude resets can be clarity and energy impact your heart, body and head.
Need some Life Resets? Life-Work Resets? I’ve had many. I learn from them all, the hard and easy resets. I find that my life and work resets are easier, thanks to my discovered maps, teachers, growth and knowledge. Find new learnings and insights unfold daily :)
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Susan Walters Minker, Coach & Facilitator: Presence-Based® Coaching, Enneagram Practitioner, Systems Dynamics for Organizations & Individuals. And, co-owner/ steward of Asheville area nature sanctuary retreat center Bend of Ivy Lodge.
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