How to Practice Gratitude

The world is particularly heavy right now and a lot of us are trying to figure out how to stay afloat during a time that is globally challenging. One way to cope is through gratitude.

The term “gratitude” gets bounced around a lot and a really simple definition of it (thanks to scientific gratitude expert, Robert Emmons) is
“an affirmation of goodness.”

It can be helpful to practice gratitude in even the most challenging of situations because it can:

improve physical and psychological health
help with sleep
enhance self-esteem
increase resilience
help with sensitivity and empathy

Some days the gratitude is big and really obvious (“My friend surprised me at work with my favourite snack!”) and sometimes it’s a little harder to find but still matters (“My dress has pockets.”)

The caveat is that it has to be authentic.

If we’re feeling sad and immediately shift into what we think we should be grateful for, then we’re actually just telling ourselves that we shouldn’t be feeling what we’re feeling. We want to stay away from toxic positivity here and avoid phrases like “I know this is hard, but I should just be grateful for what I have.”

Finding gratitude during difficult times can give us a reprieve from big emotions, but it’s important to honour the loss, disappointment, sadness, and uncertainty before organically finding your footing in gratitude. That might take a while, and it’s ok for gratitude to be a temporary feeling. You might take a moment to feel grateful for the sunshine and support of good friends before returning to the grief of a loved one.

In a nutshell: Gratitude is great, but your emotions are valid and important.
Don't gratitude yourself out of them before you're ready.

Ways to practice gratitude

Write in a gratitude journal

Keep a photo journal by taking a picture of what you’re grateful for every day

Share what your grateful for with someone else

Notice it in a mindful moment. How does it feel emotionally? How does it feel in your body

Write what you’re grateful for on a small piece of paper and put it in a jar

Say “thank you” more intentionally and often

Find a gratitude meditation

Tell people what you’re grateful for in your relationship

A bonus for journals, pictures, and jars is that you get to revisit these memories on days that are really tough.