Practice Gratitude this Winter
Gratitude.
Gratitude means so much to so many of us during the next two months. We have holidays to spend with family and reasons to reflect on what we are grateful for more than ever. So how do you practice your gratitude? I want to chat about the various ways you can center yourself and practice gratitude each and every day this holiday season - and hopefully it will carry into your daily routine into the new year!
First - Meditation.
I’ve been working meditation into my daily routine for a while now, and it really works wonders on centering my body and mind. This could literally be 2-5 minutes if you don’t have much time like I do. It normally lines up first thing in the morning, or last thing at night. My absolute favorite thing to do is to fall asleep with meditation at night for a deep sleep and a fresh wake up afterwards.
Meditation is so helpful for your mental clarity. Here’s what I want you to do - start planning in 2-5 minutes of meditation each day and journal it. Journal how long you are able to meditate for and journal how you felt before and after. You can even journal the things that came through to you after! I always have a few notes to jot down. In fact I keep an entire notebook just for my random thoughts. I should also tell you straight up that most of the time this happens for me while I am in the shower or brushing my teeth. You don’t have to be sitting quiet in a bean bag. Anyway - the feeling of refreshment will be something to carry into your entire day.
Second - Journaling.
Like I stated above about journaling your meditation - journal your gratitude in the morning and evening as well! Jot down things you are grateful for. I know these things might sound cheesy or out of reach but they are WORTH the try because they are actually very simple tasks that can create a really amazing ripple effect in your mood and everyday feeling.
An absolutely incredible way to begin your day is reflecting on what you are grateful for. It sets the tone for your day. Journaling gratitude can help you improve your mood if you are anxious or feeling low for any reason, and help get you through your particularly hard moods.
Let’s practice together - jot down 5 things RIGHT NOW you are grateful for today. This could be big or small. For example, it could be as small as being grateful you found your favorite granola at the grocery store (me today) or as big as being grateful for your children’s health. Whatever you are feeling RIGHT NOW - jot it down and take a picture. Post it on your IG story & tag me.
Third - Talk it out with friends & family!
Going into the holiday season, get together (Zoom works too!) with your closest friends and family members and chat with them about what they’re grateful for. Discuss gratitude together. Finding perspective on other’s gratitude can further what you are grateful for. Find those you love most, make an incredible dinner and chat about what gratitude means to you and what you are grateful for.
What are you grateful for? Will you be practicing gratitude all winter long with me? I want to hear from you if you are!
xo