How to Ground Yourself with Gratitude
July 11, 2019
You’ve heard it so many times……..appreciate the small things. Sure is tough to do when you’re stressed to the max with work and family obligations. But if you can take even a few moments each day to breath and practice gratitude, your anxiety and stress will fade. Even if it’s just for a moment, the more you do it, the more moments of peace you’ll experience. Here are a few tips on how to get started.
Slow Down and Breath
Regulating your breathing is the easiest way to ground yourself in the moment and relieve stress. The gift of our breath is one of the most overlooked, yet essential aspects of life. Focus on long, slow breaths and the awareness of your lungs filling and emptying with air. Simply breathing in and out for a minute or two can calm the nervous system and help us appreciate life itself.
Try to Stop Comparing
When we compare ourselves or our lives to others or to the image others present, we can quickly lose our appreciation for what we have. The illusion or actuality of what others might have can seem depressing or daunting if we focus on it rather than on the real beauty we have within our own lives.
Have a Gratitude Jar
This is a fun and easy concept. Use a clear glass jar and place it on the kitchen counter or your desk at work, in plain sight, where you will see it every day. Whenever a negative thought arises, replace it with a positive thought. An easy place to find positive affirmations is on Pinterest or Instagram. Write down that positive thought and place it in the jar. You can add any positive thought or affirmation that you come across at any time to the jar. Then, when you’re feeling down you can go to that gratitude jar and pull out a note to read. Reading one or two is all you will need to change your state of mind.
Acknowledge the little things to be grateful for in your daily world
That means actively acknowledging the big effort it took to make one little thing. For example, if you’re someone who grabs a coffee at Starbucks on your way to work, take a moment and think about all the things that went into making that cup of coffee, from the beans growing in the field, the workers picking the beans to the barista that prepared and handed you the cup. Taking this “slow approach” allows us to be grateful for all the things we take for granted. And it’s easy to take things for granted, especially basic things like the food we eat and the coffee we have such easy access too. Take the time to think about where things come from and how they got to you. Perspective changes everything.
Develop a Gratitude Ritual
Whether you’re religious or spiritual or not, why not create a gratitude ritual or mantra for getting in a positive mindset and being able to enjoy the little things. One example could be:
May I ever be filled with gratitude.
May I ever be filled with love.
May I never take for granted a shared smile or a warm embrace.
May I strive to give more than I receive.
May I remember to focus on all that I have rather than what is not before me.
May I live my days bathed in grateful love.
Say this ritual every morning upon rising or in the evening before bed. Give yourself the gift of the state of gratitude and you will feel more grounded and less stressed and anxious with each day you practice.
