The Importance of Gratitude!

Hello again! I am excited to start posting my regular blogs here on different thoughts and resources I find to help you on your well-being journey! I thought a good start to rolling out my blogs is by starting with a practice I have found amazing in my wellbeing journey!

What is the practice of Gratitude?

The practice of gratitude is being able to recognize and appreciate the great and positive things going on in your life! This is acknowledging the small things like waking up to the sunshine, or the big things like buying a new car! While practicing gratitude, it is not always as easy as picking out the good things in your life. The goal is to acknowledge what is happening, even in a negative scenario, and figuring out what you can be grateful for in this scenario. For example, if your car broke down, the first thought might be 'Why Me?' / 'This car is always giving me trouble' / 'Now I am going to be late for work'. Instead, you can challenge these thoughts, and instead tell yourself 'Thankfully I have somebody in my life to call and pick me up' / Thankfully I have an understanding manager in work' / 'I am so lucky to have had my car to bring me to work up to today'. The more you practice this, the easier it gets!

How do you practice Gratitude effectively?

While starting out this practice, you may notice that your mind goes to the negative first as opposed to the examples above - this is normal! It takes practice for our minds to rewire, so it is important to practice consistently until you start to notice this difference! Some tips for starting your practice are:

• Set aside time - I have found it best to do my practice in the morning when I wake up. Sometimes while I lay in bed I do this in my head. Other times, while waiting for the kettle to boil, I have said the things I am grateful for today. You could also do this in the evening while doing another task like brushing your teeth, or while journaling at the end of the day.

• Be specific - Try to be specific in what you say you are grateful for. Instead of generic responses like 'Family', although this is what you feel, be specific of what about your family that you are grateful for at the moment. The more you make your mind look for what you are grateful for, the easier and more automatic it will become.

• Focus on the positives - Even if you are having a bad day and find yourself leaning towards negative thoughts, try to find at least one positive thing in your day, and this will help shift to a positive mindset.

• Consistency - It is important to be consistent while practicing gratitude to help rewire your mind to a positive mindset. If you are having a busy day and feel like you do not have time to carry this out, like I said above, do this in your head while brushing your teeth, or while on the bus to work, or any other activity that you are already doing that day. Even though this might not be in the time set aside, it is better to practice at a different time than not at all.

Different forms of practicing Gratitude

There are lots of different forms of practicing gratitude. It is important to find out which form suits you best, and fits in with your life. Through different stages of my life, I have found different forms to be helpful. Try them out and see what works best for you! Some of these types of practicing gratitude are:

• Mindful Awareness - This is paying attention to the present moment and being grateful for what is around you at that moment. For example, if you are sitting in your house, you might feel grateful for the house you have, and the food in your fridge everyday.

• Expression - This is sharing what you are grateful for with others. For example, if you are grateful for spending time with your sister, tell her this.

• Journaling - Writing in your journal daily or weekly about the things you are grateful for. This is a nice way to reflect on what is going on in your life, and helping build up your positive mindset.

• Letters - If you are grateful to certain people, you can write a letter to them. You do not have to send the letters, you can keep them as reflection if you wish.

• Acts of Kindness - Showing your gratitude through acts of kindness to others is a great way to give others a sense of appreciation, aswell as making you feel good in the meantime.

The benefits of practicing Gratitude

There are lots of benefits to practicing gratitude, but the overall benefit is improving of mental health! Practicing this regularly can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and help rewire the brain to a more positive way of thinking, which in turn will lead to a more positive way of life! Some other benefits include:

• Enhanced Relationships - Practicing gratitude and expressing this to the people in your life can help you feel closer to them, and improve the relationship.

• Better Physically - Practicing gratitude can be related to better sleep and lower stress levels.

• Increase in Resilience - Practicing gratitude is focusing on the positives in your life, which can help you cope better in difficult situations.

• Better Mindfulness - Practicing gratitude brings your awareness to the present moment, which is a great mindfulness practice which has its own benefits!

I have found the practice of gratitude extremely helpful on my own well-being journey. There have been times in my life where I have been more consistent than other times, but I have realised that is ok! It is not about carrying out a perfect practice, it is just about trying your best and each time you practice, is a small form of self-care for yourself!

I hope you found this helpful! If you have any questions or thoughts on this practice, I would love to hear them!

Also if you are interested in booking a counselling session or want to discuss what I can do to help you on your well-being journey, feel free to get in touch!

Thanks for reading, Ciara X

vitanovawellbeing@gmail.com