Attitude of Gratitude: establishing a gratitude practice
There’s no doubt that there’s a lot of stress, anxiety and uncertainty in the world right now. We’re facing unprecedented times and need to take extra measures to look after our wellbeing. With so much negativity surrounding us it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and let our minds be occupied with everything that seems to be going ‘wrong’ in the world. This is to be expected and negative feelings at this time are totally valid and normal. However, we can forget that actually, even at this difficult time, there are still lots of things to be grateful for every single day. Establishing a gratitude practice at this time can help us to reduce these feelings of stress and anxiety by reframing our perspective to one of thankfulness and positivity. I’ve shared a couple of ways that we can practice gratitude every day.
Journaling can be a great tool to establish a gratitude practice. There are lots of journals on the market with prompts for you to write on specific topics and whilst this can be useful, it’s not totally necessary. Any diary or notebook will do. A super quick exercise that you can do is open your journal first thing in the morning, before you open your phone and check your emails, and write down 3 things that you are grateful for today. These 3 things can be anything – an experience, a person, or a part of your body, for example. You don’t necessarily need to expand on why you are grateful for these things, but if you feel like doing this please feel free. Starting your day in this way encourages us to have a more positive perspective for the day ahead, appreciating the seemingly small but wonderful things that are gifted to us every day. And neurons that fire together wire together, so if we do this practice consistently, we actually rewire and retrain the brain to invite more gratitude into our lives every day. Neuroplasticity in action!
Doing yoga (and other forms of exercise that you enjoy) encourages us to feel grateful for the skin that we are in. We can move our bodies in strong and capable ways, feeling a sense of achievement and gratitude for what our bodies are able to accomplish. And as your practice develops notice the changes in your body. Maybe holding downward facing dog for 5 breaths was once a struggle, but now feels much easier. Maybe you once felt fidgety and awkward sat in sukhasana and breathing for 10 minutes, but now the posture feels natural and comfortable. These are tangible differences which show how amazingly adaptive our bodies are. Notice these developments and feel that sense of gratitude for having a body that can do these incredible things. And yes, holding downward facing dog and sitting crossed legged for 10 minutes IS amazing. We’re easy to be critical of our own practice and compare it to others, but our bodies are wonderful, and we should feel a sense of gratitude for what they can do, rather than judgement for what they cannot.
So, whilst this may be a difficult time for a lot of people and feelings of worry, anxiety and panic are totally valid and expected, remember that there are still lots of things to be grateful for. I’ve listed mine below.
My health. I’m grateful for having a healthy body and mind whilst so many are suffering right now
Technology. I’m grateful that I’m able to stay connected to students, friends and family through technology at a time that can feel quite isolating
The sun. I’m grateful for blue skies and sun in the sky which lifts my spirts and makes me feel energised and positive
What are 3 things you are grateful for today?
Sending love
Nikki x