Gratitude teaches us the importance of being thankful for what we have, no matter what’s happening around us.
This year specifically taught me the hard lesson of how it only takes a single moment for things to change. The reality of holding onto gratitude, even when we’re going through a hard season, is that we might not always feel grateful. I wasn’t sure how to hold onto joy when all I felt was grief, but the beauty of focusing on gratitude instead of pain is that two feelings can coexist. I learned that I didn’t have to hide my feelings or force myself to feel a certain way. Even though I was experiencing heartbreak like I never had before, I could still make room for happiness and hope despite my circumstances.
Gratitude reminds us that happiness isn’t dependent on an outcome, it’s found where we are. It helps us appreciate the positive in our lives, rather than focusing on everything we don’t have. Practicing gratitude can have positive mental health benefits including increased happiness, a stronger relationship with yourself and a better outlook overall. No matter what season of life you find yourself in, here’s how to find gratitude and shift your perspective:
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Be Grateful For Where You Are
Gratitude is a choice. It’s easy to get caught up in what we should have or where we think we should be, but when we focus on the wrong things, we’re losing sight of where we are and everything we do have.
It’s easy to be thankful when everything is going right. But what’s our attitude when everything’s going wrong, or our lives take us down a different path than expected?
The biggest thing that helped me find gratitude even in deep moments of grief was focusing on the small things. When I was in college and going through one of the hardest times in my life, I remember making it a point each morning to think about three things I was grateful for. Whether it was a hot shower, sunny weather or simply setting the intention that I was going to have a good day regardless of what I was going through at the time.
Similarly, when I found myself in a hard season this year, I shifted my focus to anything that made me feel good. I looked forward to catching up with a friend, running outside, or listening to music that brought me back to simpler times. When we learn to find gratitude for what we do have, even if it’s the ‘smallest’ things, we realize they end up being the ‘bigger’ things that carry us through.
Learning how to shift our perspective and focus on what’s going right helps take our mind off anything that’s going wrong, even if it’s temporary.
Live In The Current Moment
Gratitude reminds us of what’s most important and encourages us to live in the present.
We know that no amount of wishing can change the past or alter the future. When we aren’t focused on the past or worried about the future, it helps us find appreciation in the current moment.
Regardless of how much we try to make something work, sometimes our lives won’t follow the perfectly-curated plan. If we learn how to shift our focus and be appreciative of where we are, we’ll always end up having more.
There were many times in the past when I found myself focused on anything but the present moment I was in. Too often, I was worried about how situations would turn out, or focusing on past mistakes that might’ve led me to where I was. But what I learned about gratitude is that it won’t automatically make us forget the difficult times. The hard times in our lives are there to strengthen us, shape us, and remind us of how resilient we are no matter what’s taking place around us.
Gratitude can’t erase the difficult times we’re facing or have faced, but it can help us recognize and appreciate where we currently are. It’s remembering to never lose sight of the small moments that bring us joy, and while still being grateful regardless of our circumstances. Even if it’s as simple as focusing on your resilience to keep moving forward no matter what you’re faced with, or focusing on your inner peace even in uncertainty.
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- 15 Journal Prompts To Help You Find Your Purpose
- 5 Small Changes To Transform Your Mental Health
- How To Let Go Of Expectations And Embrace Your Path
Keep A Gratitude Journal
One of the main benefits of journaling is that it can help us sort through any heavy emotions and feelings, prioritizing what’s most important for our mental health. It can also help us identify negative thoughts and shift our mindset to what’s truly important.
Setting aside time to write in a gratitude journal can help you focus on the positive and recognize what you’re truly grateful for. When we take time to reflect, we’re able to connect with how we feel on a deeper level. Sometimes we might not even realize how we’re feeling until we’re able to get our thoughts out of our head and onto paper.
Some examples of gratitude journals are:
The Five-Minute Journal:
This journal makes it easy to build a daily gratitude habit with simple prompts for morning intentions and evening reflections. It helps you become aware of what you’re grateful for without taking too much time out of your day. It’s also nice to have something you can look back on, and see how your intentions and reflections have changed over time.
Guided Gratitude Journal:
This guided gratitude journal includes activities, thought-provoking prompts, and gratitude prompts. Similar to the Five-Minute Journal, it includes a daily guided gratitude prompt along with inspiring and unique questions each day. It’s helpful if you’re looking to build a daily gratitude practice, with thoughtful questions that encourage you to dive deeper into your emotions.
Gratitude Self-Care Journal:
The Gratitude Self-Care Journal is perfect for busy days, with quick prompts to guide your reflections. I also love the aesthetic of it, especially with illustrations, quotes and habit tracking.
Spiraled Notebook:
While I love prompts, there’s something about writing in a plain notebook that helps me focus and write distraction-free. I prefer spiral notebooks with tabs for separate sections, but softcover works too, depending on your personal preference.
Gratitude journaling helps you recall significant moments throughout your day and reflect on what you’re thankful for. Taking a few moments in the morning or at night to look back on your day can make all the difference in how you feel mentally.
Give Yourself Compassion And Grace
Gratitude is about finding compassion where you are. Whether that means learning forgiveness, letting go of what you can’t change, or accepting situations for what they are rather than what you want them to be.
When you give yourself compassion, it becomes easier to feel gratitude, even during hard times or moments when you can’t seem to understand. Compassion shifts your focus to what’s meaningful by putting aside everything that isn’t. Inner peace helps you embrace where you are, even if you aren’t where you want to be yet.
Practicing compassion isn’t always simple, but gratitude helps us focus on what truly matters. It guides us to true fulfillment, teaching us to be grateful for our progress, no matter how it looks on the outside.
Gratitude reminds us that there’s always something to hold onto, even in deep moments of grief. It helps us appreciate the little things in life, which actually end up being the big things. Gratitude is about creating a life that feels right for you, finding meaning in every chapter, and trusting that you have the strength to handle anything that comes your way.
