What is in the energy of the word ‘gratitude’?
Having gratitude can fill your heart, lighten the sky, heal the planet, allow for grace, and create magic. All this? Yup! The power of gratitude is endless. It is in us all. Watch your life change with a simple gratitude practice a few minutes in the morning, evening, and whenever you feel called throughout the day. Remember what you are grateful for and feel it in your body and your heart. Say the words out loud or in your mind, and feel the feelings. Express your gratitude: tell people, animals, plants, the earth, yourself, that you are grateful for them.
Gratitude transports you to a flow state in your life. It immediately activates your brain to feel more positive by releasing dopamine and serotonin. This simple practice of saying what you are grateful for, and feeling it, can heal. The power of gratitude can make one lousy day turn into a gem.
Gratitude is yours to be had. It could be as small as being grateful for the breeze brushing your cheek on a hot day, the warmth of a cup of hot tea to nurture you, a one-minute pause from a busy work day, or a sunset right in front of you. By noticing and remembering these things with gratitude, you have created the healing power of gratitude within yourself.
With a regular gratitude practice you can lighten your load by remembering the positive qualities of who you are, what you have, those you feel loved by, this beautiful planet, the list is endless. Feeling down or sorry for yourself? When you are done with that, start to think of what you are grateful for: that smile from a stranger this morning, that rain that created a rainbow, that you had enough gas to get to work, that your children said ‘I love you’, the colorful bird, memories of the moments with your loved ones passed. You have the power to heal with gratitude.
I like to play the “gratitude game” with my partner, kids, friends, and alone. If I notice I’m in a funky mood and I’m not sure why, I begin to think about all that I have, my health, the love around me, and I lighten up and feel good immediately. At night before bed, I play the gratitude game with my partner – we take turns saying something we are grateful for. I do this with my kids, which gives them an immediate, positive experience and the opportunity to be appreciative for this gift of life. Telling someone all the reasons you are grateful for them can be so healing. When do you do that in everyday life? Have you ever done this? Shout it out with a friend, family member, lover, or in the mirror, for 1 -3 minutes. Let the healing power of gratitude work its magic.
If you are suffering, or are in pain and cannot muster up the energy to think about anything you are grateful for in the moment, you could start with noticing your breath and being grateful for that, becoming aware of any part of your body that feels ok and is not in pain, or feeling that you are love. You can also call on a positive memory in your life, anything at all that makes you grateful. Seeing this memory and being grateful for it is the power of gratitude and can make any pain you feel more bearable.
What are you grateful for today?