There are many fun ways to power up your gratitude practice. Let’s discuss why developing dynamic gratitude exercises is beneficial!
It’s common to begin a daily gratitude practice, but become bored fast. Trust me, I’ve been there! You started gratitude to relieve worry, battle stress, or become more centered. But, after the fifth day of making the same exact gratitude list, you became frustrated and gave up!
You’re not alone.
Good news! There are many innovative ways to take your gratitude deeper with stimulating exercises. But first, let’s review the benefits of practicing gratitude.
The Benefits of Gratitude
Gratitude is a worthwhile practice that affects how we see the world around us. There many health benefits to daily gratitude, and it improves our problem-solving skills!
The fact is, gratitude releases two brain chemicals called dopamine and serotonin. These chemicals might sound familiar, and there’s a good reason why! Dopamine and serotonin are “feel-good drugs.” Your brain releases when you experience pleasure. No need to eat a chocolate bar for a feel-good high when you can practice gratitude instead!
Gratitude also raises our vibration and makes us more positive people in general.
5 Minute Mindset
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It has 21 days of gratitude prompts, and positive affirmations. It’s a one-stop-shop resource for anyone new to mindfulness practice.
In a few minutes a day, 5 Minute Mindset will help you gain clarity on what you truly desire. You will build an actionable plan to achieve those desires! By growing your mindset, you will reduce unnecessary stress in your life. It is full of positive affirmations to build your confidence!
5 Minute Mindset is all the meditation resources you’ve been looking for in one, easy-to-use guide. Say goodbye to scouring the internet for journaling prompts! You have everything you need in one book. Not to mention, you can easily repeat the guide for maximum mindset growth. Grab your copy of 5 Minute Mindset in the form below!
Common Mistakes of Gratitude Practice
It’s easy to become bored when practicing gratitude, but let me explain a few common reasons why. It’s easy to lose interest in gratitude journaling when you use the same prompt every single day! Repeating the question, “What am I grateful for today,” leads to boredom and failure. I’m going to teach you how to change it up!
Another common mistake is to keep your gratitude list very general. Instead of writing, “I’m grateful for my house. I’m grateful for my job,” take it a bit deeper.
You could say something like, “I’m grateful that my house is a sanctuary for me to recharge. I’m grateful that my house is in a neighborhood that I love.”
Or you might say, “I’m grateful for a job that is growing me as a professional. I’m grateful for the connections I am making and the skills I am learning.”
Finally, a big way to miss out on a rich gratitude practice is to never review your gratitude journal! Once a week, take a few minutes to reflect on the pages of your journal and the powerful words you have written there. I promise you, it’s inspiring!
How to Power Up Your Gratitude Practice
Luckily, there are several quick fixes for powering up your gratitude practice!
- Practice meditation before you journal
- Choose specific prompts that target certain areas of your life.
- Push your page count
- Be grateful for the future.
Meditate Before You Journal
Engaging in a few minutes of meditation before you put your pen to paper will help center you for gratitude. You can meditate on your prompt or take some time to get quiet in your mind. Acknowledge any stress and fear present in your life. Name them and dismiss them.
Set your intention for your gratitude practice. What do you want to receive from it? Clarity? Direction? An answer to a question? When you know what you are looking for, it becomes easier to find! Ask, and you will receive it.
RELATED: How to Stop Negative Thoughts
If it’s difficult to find your center, practice some mindful breathing to quiet your mind. Focus on taking deep breaths through your nose and exhaling from your mouth. Empty your consciousness of everything except your breathing. This will prepare you for great gratitude work.
Choose Great Gratitude Prompts
Repetition is monotonous and fails to take us deeper into practicing gratitude. Using the same prompt will not stir any profound mindfulness.
You have to change it up!
The good news is, there are a great many resources for finding gratitude prompts. You can find lists of all kinds of prompts. Some lists target specific areas of your life, forcing you to go deep with your responses. Remember to keep your heart open and vulnerable, even if the prompts push at bruised places in your heart. The powerful work you will engage in will be worthwhile and healing!
Push Your Page Count
Some days, it’s quality over quantity. Other days, it’s the opposite! When you’re feeling stuck with gratitude, set a number of pages you must fill for the day. It could be three pages, and it could be ten! I’ve seen mindset gurus challenge themselves to fill twenty or thirty pages a day. What an exercise!
Your gratitude work doesn’t have to be quite as extensive or extreme! But, setting a page goal will definitely force you to get creative with your gratitude list! Challenging your “endurance” and will build muscle memory in your brain! In other words, you’re growing your gratitude muscles!
Page count goals are freeing. It’s easy to do stream-of-consciousness journaling instead of making a numbered list. You’ll be surprised to discover themes and topics, as you write, where you want to go deeper.
Put your pen to paper and write. What comes out is you!
Be Grateful for the Future
Sound like a weird concept? Don’t worry, I’ll explain! Envisioning the future is referred to as future-casting, manifesting, and other terms. But any easy way to think about it is getting in touch with future YOU!
It will take some practice to envision yourself in the future, to really feel like you’re there. But once you’ve developed a clear picture in your mind, start taking note of what you’re grateful for. My future gratitude looks like this:
“I’m grateful that I own a successful work-from-home business. I’m grateful to own my first home and have a thriving relationship with my partner.”
Thinking about your ideal future as actual reality does a few things for your brain. First, it stimulates your mind to look for ways to make your perfect future become a reality. How cool is that?
Future-casting also empowers you to release the things you can’t control. This practice lessens the stress and fear of the future. Instead, it inspires excitement about the beautiful things to come.
Practice Affirmations
An affirmation is a definite truth that replaces a negative message in your brain. Instead of thinking, “My life isn’t going anywhere,” you can choose a new thought. Something like, “I have the power to make positive changes in my life.”
Affirmations open our minds to light, love, and prepare us to engage in gratitude. I have many resources for practicing affirmations here on my blog. Find them below!
Less Stress is More
A reminder I always offer my readers is to not let gratitude and mindfulness become areas of stress. Worrying about developing the perfect mindset routine defeats the purpose of your practice! Make your habits work for you. Even if you have just five minutes a day, your gratitude practice counts and is beneficial. A little consistency over time is all you really need!
