A Grateful Practice
There is a difference between, when I wish for things I want, pray for things I hope to happen and lament on things that I regret…versus, when I journal a few lines of things I’m grateful for and say a prayer of thanks.
Have you ever noticed how a mindset can truly change your mood?
Having a thankful mentality literally flips our hearts position from ruminating on what we don’t have to reflecting on all that we have. Gratitude is SO good for us, but its not always the brain’s go-to.
It takes a little bit of effort, to be in a posture of thankfulness I think.
Over the past few years I have leaned into a small practice of taking notice.
For example:
When I step inside my warm home from a rainy blustery walk, I notice an inner sigh of thanks.
When I wake up in the morning and see a bird out my window on the tree branch, I feel grateful to see it.
My senses awaken when I’m holding a warm mug in my hand to take a moment to myself, and I enjoy it.
Just the other day my friend and I saw a baby deer prance across the walking trail, we stood in awe.
This practice has helped me to adjust into a position of thankfulness through out any given day. Just noticing the simple joys can have a big impact.
We all experience moments like these, and some of us are experts at taking that pause to notice them. Sometimes, we rush through them though, missing the positive energy of that moment and how it feeds our soul in good feel morsels.
If this is not something you are already are in the habit of, I highly encourage you to try a bit of noticing!
Although I have created space to be thankful in a moment, I have not gotten in the habit of always naming them. Unless, I recount it with another, like when I told my kids about the deer frolicking on the trail!
However, I was reading this article on how gratitude changes your brain - and it talked about the mental health benefits of gratitude writing. This study took a group of people that struggled with anxiety and depression and had them write one grateful letter a week to someone they knew. The emotional positive benefits lasted for over twelve weeks. And actually, improved their mental state over time.
This idea prompted me to think how before technology, people used to write letters regularly to their families. Sending updates about their life via hand written correspondence, most likely led to reflection. Perhaps listing all the things they have in a letter, led to the same benefits of gratitude writing this article suggests.
I wonder if social media helps us in this area or not? If a quick text has the same positive impact, or not. Could there be something wired in our bones and heart that becomes powerful when we put pen to paper and count our blessings?
I would love to find out! Would you consider joining me on an experiment?
Let’s write a letter of gratitude to someone, incorporate things you are grateful for. Maybe the entire note is about how thankful you are for them! Whether we send it out or not, that part doesn’t matter. The fruit however, could multiply endlessly.
Perhaps the positive impact of such a practice will last us through the next holiday, when we are SO focused on giving. Taking stock of what we have and what truly matters to us, feels like the perfect way to fill up before we pour out to others.
Happy Writing! (Literally) :)
