Flourish Health & Wellbeing eMag - Sept25 - Flipbook - Page 39
How to practice gratitude
Prac琀椀cing gra琀椀tude o昀昀ers
numerous avenues for both
individual and collec琀椀ve
engagement. Just like any skill,
gra琀椀tude can be cul琀椀vated
and strengthened through
inten琀椀onal e昀昀orts.
• Iden琀椀fy what you’re
grateful for: By making
it a daily habit to ponder
on the posi琀椀ve aspects of
your life, you train your
mind to naturally seek out
and appreciate the good.
To maximise the impact of
this prac琀椀ce, it is bene昀椀cial
to dedicate at least ten
minutes to the ac琀椀vity
rather than rushing through
it has琀椀ly.
• Start a gra琀椀tude journal:
Through the act of wri琀椀ng,
you tap into di昀昀erent
perspec琀椀ves and access
memories and emo琀椀ons
from a fresh vantage
point. Research has even
shown that maintaining a
gra琀椀tude journal ac琀椀vates
brain regions associated
with posi琀椀ve emo琀椀ons
and moral considera琀椀ons.
Revisi琀椀ng your own
expressions of gratefulness
in the future can also
serve as a source of solace
and inspira琀椀on during
challenging 琀椀mes.
• Tell someone how you feel:
Expressing gra琀椀tude to
someone new each week
can also be profoundly
impac琀昀ul. By se琀�ng the
inten琀椀on to thank someone
in various ways, you expand
your repertoire of gra琀椀tude
expressions. It need not be
limited to verbal thanks; you
can incorporate conscious
non-verbal communica琀椀on,
such as making eye contact
and sharing a smile, or
convey apprecia琀椀on
through though琀昀ul
messages, emails, or
gestures of gra琀椀tude.
• Give meditation a go:
Meditation is another potent
tool for cultivating gratitude.
By engaging in meditative
practices, you cultivate
acceptance, detachment, and
forgiveness, all of which pave
the way for a deeper sense
of gratitude
to emerge.
• Focus more on other
people’s actions: Whenever
someone extends a kind
gesture or offers a gift, take
a moment to visualise their
willingness to help, their
desire to bring happiness or
their availability to support
you. This shift in
perspective can amplify
your appreciation for their
thoughtfulness and
reinforce your own
gratitude mindset.
By exploring these various
pathways, you can develop a
richer and more meaningful
rela琀椀onship with gra琀椀tude,
opening yourself up to a world
of posi琀椀vity and contentment.
Each of us possesses the
capacity and the opportunity
to nurture gra琀椀tude, a
prac琀椀ce that produces swi昀琀
results and doesn’t cost a
cent. Instead of 昀椀xa琀椀ng on
perceived en琀椀tlements, take
a few precious moments to
centre your a琀琀en琀椀on on the
abundance that surrounds
you, apprecia琀椀ng all that you
already have.
