Self-Care: G is for…

  is for gratitude.

I believe gratitude and appreciation can make an exponential difference in one’s life.  I’m not exaggerating – I believe it whole-heartedly.  I think it shifts everything.  And if I had a wish for everyone it would be that they had a gratitude practice.  It’s that important.

And yet it’s easy, it’s free, you can arrange it anyway you want, do it any time you choose, keep it simple, or make it into a lovely little daily ritual.

I so love this quote by Connie Kaplan:

“Gratitude is the deep understanding that life is a gift, not a burden or assignment…When one experiences Gratitude, one remembers the wonder of creation.”

I’m convinced gratitude begets happiness.  And if there were nothing else true about it, I think that would be more than enough. But the thing is, there IS more.  Immersing yourself in the energy, the vibrations of gratitude, brings you more to be grateful about.  It’s one of the magic tricks of the universe.

• -What if you took a second before you sipped that clean water that’s so readily available to you and said thank you?

• -What if you sat down to dinner with your partner, your friends, your family, and you actually said aloud 2 things you were grateful for?

• -What if you took a few moments before sleep to acknowledge with gratitude all the good of your day?  Maybe 3 things?  Maybe 5?

• -What if you wrapped up the last minutes of your morning pages practice with something you’re grateful for.  Personally I think this is a wonderful wonderful wonderful way to shift energies.  Morning pages can be a great way to empty the brain and clear the slate, but I’ve found they can also leave me feeling like I’ve just immersed myself in a lot of stuff I don’t necessarily want to continue carrying around with me for the rest of the day. So why not shift energies into welcoming a bright beautiful grace-filled day by closing out the morning pages with a note of gratitude.

• -What if you kept a gratitude journal?  It could be a list.  Or you might want to do a bit of journaling and then “art” it up.

Here’s a page from one of my journals where I created something around what I was grateful for.  What I’ve written is on the white slips of paper.

What exactly should you be grateful for?  Start anywhere.  We all have BIG apparent things – what we love about our life.   But can you shift it deeper as well?  Can you appreciate the smile the stranger gave you as you walked home from a difficult day at work, and realized how good it was just to be seen momentarily and acknowledged?  Can you welcome the beauty of the flower growing against all odds in the crack in the alley pavement?  Gratitude can open the world to you – you can begin to REALLY see the beauty and blessings all around you.

Of course I understand there are times when it feels more difficult.   I totally get that. I’m not Pollyanna.  I have challenges, sadnesses, places where I’m stuck or floundering, I’ve known deep grief and pain.  But I also know one thing – my life is better with a daily gratitude practice.   It really is.

A gratitude practice can deepen your sense of connection with the world.  It requires a level of being present.  

Gratitude is feel-good practice, and that makes it a perfect self-care tool. 

While I think a practice can look like anything you want (and should!) clients have often asked me to help them set something up.  I created a limited-edition Gratitude kit which includes a handmade-by-me journal and one of my auric sprays along with other treats.  You can have a peek at it here on this page of my website.

What about you?  Do you have a gratitude practice?   I’d love to hear what it looks like.  Or perhaps you can leave a comment about something you’re grateful for today and we can hold it our hearts for you as well.  Do tell – you know I love to hear.