Are You Doing Gratitude Wrong ;)?
Have you guys been having pity parties like I was last week?
In full disclosure, I had another one this past Monday.
As cliche as it may sound, having a gratitude practice is one way that helps me shift when I am, well, ready to shift. It helps me to NOT overeat or over- [fill in the blank].
At this point gratitude is practically like sleep. Everyone knows it is good for you.
It is basically a proven fact that being grateful is good for every area of our health.
But how do you have a practice that actually “works”?
Many of my clients or students think a practice of gratitude is all about just writing a list of what you are grateful for.
This is not wrong or bad.
But what I see happen is that we list like the same 7 things day after day.
Like:
“I am grateful for my home, my kids’ health and my mom.”
This is fine, sure.
But, most likely this system will not work.
If on day 13 of writing the same 7 things you don’t feel a CHARGE of gratitude you will not get the benefit of the practice.
If writing your things down isn’t lighting you up it just won’t give you all the benefits google promises.
If it is just another “to do” it could even take away from the initial intention.
We gotta get that CHARGE.
How to get the CHARGE in 2-5 minutes:
Write down ONE (I know what!!!??) thing you are grateful for everyday. BE SPECIFIC. Try to change it up. You can choose the same thing or person but choose a different aspect of that thing or person to focus on.
Then write WHY you are grateful for this one thing. Let this be as long or as short as you like.
Re read what you have written and name what you are feeling - yes gratitude, but what else? Take a second to FEEL this feeling. Where is it in your body? What is the vibration like? Hard or soft? Fast or slow? What does feeling this feeling make you want to do or not do?
Here is a quick example: I am soooo grateful for the way my husband parents my daughter (v specific, right?). He is so patient with her, he loves her unconditionally, he understands her, he is silly with her and plays the most ridiculous games. It is a blessing to even just witness it. It helps me to be a better parent. I feel sooooo happy for her that she gets to have an excellent Dad, that she is so supported and loved. It could make me cry. This makes me feel so grateful but also makes me feel huge love. This makes me want to share the love, to be more loving and fun and patient. It also allows me to keep seeing the good vs seeing anything negative my brain might try to offer. It helps me to be the mom and wife I want to be.
Do you see the difference?
So much power in this practice, right?
Try it for a week straight and tell me it doesn’t offer you a shift.