Every day, we’re presented with a fresh chance to decide how we feel and think. These thoughts and feelings can significantly impact our behavior and our lives. By consciously cultivating gratitude, we can bolster genuine appreciation of our lives and all that they encompass. This in turn helps us realize that we have the power to shape our experience and attract well-being and happiness.
Incorporating gratitude into our daily routine is easier than you might think. Here are five proven practices that can provide extraordinary benefits:
1. Start a Gratitude Journal
Starting tonight, spend 10 minutes reflecting on your day and write down three things that went well. It doesn’t matter if they’re big or small events, as long as they made a positive impact. Describe why you think these occurrences happened and allow yourself to re-experience the pleasant feelings associated with them. Do this every night for three weeks and you might find that the increased happiness you experience lasts up to six months.
Additionally, once a week, list five things that other people have done that made your life better in some way. Reflect on what these actions mean to you and how grateful you are for their support. Recognizing and appreciating these positive experiences can help you see the goodness around you and improve your general well-being (source).
2. Practice Mental Subtraction
Take 10 minutes each week to imagine how different your life would be without certain positive events, such as the job you have or significant achievements. Reflect on the ways in which your life might be different without these milestones.
A series of studies in 2008 showed that completing a 15-minute mental subtraction exercise led to improvements in happiness and gratitude (source). The purpose of this practice is to help you recognize how lucky you are that things turned out the way they did and counteract any tendencies to take the good things in your life for granted.
3. Write a Gratitude Letter
Choose someone to whom you’ve never truly expressed your gratitude. Write them a heartfelt, detailed letter expressing your appreciation. You can include inspiring lessons or funny moments you’ve shared, for example.
Research has shown that writing and delivering a gratitude letter is one of the most effective ways to boost happiness. In fact, it proved to have the greatest lasting impact after one month when compared to other gratitude-based exercises (source). Delivering the letter in person and reading it aloud can deepen the emotional experience for both you and the recipient.
4. Give it Up
Select a less desirable food, habit, or pleasure to abstain from for one week. After a week, indulge in it again, this time with heightened excitement and anticipation.
Taking a break from pleasurable activities can help you appreciate them more when you get back to them, as well as teach you how to better savor these experiences. A 2013 study found that abstaining leads to increased gratitude and happiness upon resumption of the activity (source). By giving up something you enjoy, you can build a greater appreciation for it and prevent taking these pleasures for granted.
5. Go on a Mindful Walk
Find time each week for a 20-minute walk, alone and in silence. To keep things fresh, try to take a different route every time. While walking, pay close attention to all the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations around you, mindful of every detail that evokes peacefulness, contentment, or joy.
A study by Fred Bryant and Joseph Veroff found that taking this type of walk can result in increased happiness even a week later (source). The more you practice these walks, the more amazed you may become by the simple yet profound benefits of mindfulness and gratitude.
Practicing gratitude regularly can have a transformative impact on your life, leading to more happiness, well-being, and personal growth. By incorporating these simple yet powerful exercises into your daily routine, you can build the habit of gratitude and reap the rewards it brings.
