Gratitude is a mindset

Did you know that what we choose to focus our minds on has positive or negative effects on our wellbeing?  Researchers have found that the practice of gratitude actually promotes health! It is something that does not come naturally, but we need to choose to make space throughout the rhythms of our day to reap the benefits of it.  Sometimes it can be hard to choose gratitude when things are tough, but in choosing the right mindset through the process of gratitude your attitude and reactions to hard circumstances begin to shift. 

I have been challenged to choose to reflect on the small and big things I am grateful for each day, especially on the days that my mind wants to sit somewhere else. It is amazing that when I begin to shift my perspective I begin to feel peace and my thoughts are more outwardly focused on others and not so self focused on my circumstances. My family has a large jar in our family room with a pad and pen by it. We write down small and big ways we have been grateful during the day and place them in the jar. At the end of the year we are going to read them together and be reminded of all the goodness of the past year. 

I was reading Philippians 4:6-10 (NLT) “Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Keep putting into practice all you have learned and received from me- everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” It hit me after reading this passage that this is the practice of gratitude! We choose to fix our minds on things that are excellent and worthy of praise! This can be as simple as recognizing the enjoyment of a hot cup of coffee in the morning, laughter with friends, a good nourishing meal shared around the table, the ability to sweat and move, the kindness of a stranger, the beauty in a sunset, quality time with family and friends and the list can keep going if your mind is fixed on those thoughts.  The practice of gratitude can help relieve stress, it can calm you in hard times, strengthen relationships, help your sleep quality, make you less materialistic because you realize how much you have, lower risk of depression, promote selflessness, and actually make you healthier! (source: Mind body Green) Gratitude can help calm our minds and refocus our mindset and by doing so can help balance certain hormones in our body to bring back internal balance.  How can we carve out intentional time to fix our thoughts on moments of goodness and gratefulness that we encounter each day?

The 5 minute journal is a great way to start the practice of gratitude:

Link: 5 minute Gratitude journal