Last Updated on May 7, 2022
Do you know what’s hard sometimes? Practicing gratitude.
Those gratitude lists that everyone tells you to write aren’t always easy for me.
And not in the sense that I don’t have anything to be grateful for in my life because I absolutely do. It’s just that gratitude sometimes gets overwhelming because it feels like I’m forcing myself to write a list for the sake of writing a list.
Maybe like me, your mind tends to focus on the things that are going wrong. Or you think you’re a terrible person because you don’t feel grateful for the things you SHOULD be grateful for – things like family, friends, food, a roof over your head, etc.
I often stare at a blank page thinking to myself, “I should probably write that I’m grateful for [fill in the blank]”, but then it just feels ingenuine and forced.
So what are we to do? Well, if you also find it difficult to practice gratitude on a regular basis, I have a few simple gratitude tips that might make it easier for you.
Why your gratitude lists might not be working
Let’s acknowledge that there’s nothing wrong with you if you don’t tend to think in positives or revel in gratitude every waking moment.
I used to think that I was broken because gratitude didn’t come naturally to me, but it turns out it’s not a human being’s standard way of operating.
We’re not wired for positivity
There’s something called the negativity bias which says we react to negative stimuli more intensely than positive stimuli.
Why would we learn more from negative stimuli? Because we need to avoid the harmful, negative things that could hurt us. Our brains need to recognize and remember negative experiences so we can dodge them at all costs.
That means if we want to remember positive experiences, we have to try really hard to savor them.
Once I learned this, I felt less like an overly cynical, heartless being for not being grateful 24/7.
Do we actually need gratitude?
So if gratitude isn’t our standard mode of operation, do we really need to be practicing gratitude?
One study on gratitude interventions showed modest improvements in people with depression and anxiety, but the researchers still recommended people utilize other forms of support as well.
That means practicing gratitude alone probably isn’t going to change your life.
But I do think it helps to savor the things that bring you comfort, no matter how small they are.
After all, the small things are what get us through our days.
And I believe you will attract good things in life when you radiate the kind of energy that tells the universe you’re open to receiving good things. Gratitude is one way to attract that kind of energy.
5 simple gratitude tips
In my experimentation with gratitude, here are some things that have made it feel less forced for me:
Think of things that bring you bliss
I’ve started referring to my daily gratitude as my ‘Daily Bliss’ list.
Instead of framing the list as things I’m grateful for, I write down three things that made my day blissful. If you need to, just think of the things that made your day mildly tolerable.
This means things like enjoying a new show, finding a new favorite song, reading a good book, talking to a friend, or making progress on a project.
Related: The Daily Bliss Planner is Here!
Write your list at the end of the day
So many people tell you to write a gratitude list first thing in the morning, but I can’t be the only one whose brain does not work when I first get up.
I swear I can’t think of a single thing that even exists, let alone that I’m grateful for when I first wake up.
Instead, writing my list at the end of the day works much better for me because I can reflect on the happenings of the day, who I interacted with, and the little things that lit me up.
Leave out the ‘shoulds’
Forcing yourself to try and be grateful for something isn’t going to make you feel better.
For example, if you’re not vibing with your family at a particular moment, trying to force yourself to feel grateful for your family isn’t going to do a whole lot of anything.
Instead, focus on the things that genuinely make you feel good. Let go of what you think you should be expressing gratitude for.
“Pretending you’re grateful when you’re actually not will just serve to bury your feelings. You don’t need to force yourself to think about your life in a way that isn’t true to you.”
Related Post: Letting Go Of What Doesn’t Serve You
Ask yourself why you’re grateful
Writing a gratitude list is one thing, but actually finding the words to express WHY you’re grateful for something gives it more power.
You may take having a roof over your head for granted because you’ve never had to live without a roof, so saying that you’re grateful for the said roof may not have much meaning to you.
What might help is identifying WHY you’re grateful for that roof. For example, is it protecting you from a storm? Is it keeping the heat inside and helping you stay warm?
Perhaps what you’re really grateful for is the protection and security that the roof provides. Digging deep into why you’re grateful can give you a new perspective on things.
Use gratitude for your goals
If you want to attract more good things in your life, use gratitude to help you achieve your goals.
For example, if your goal is to improve your physical health, try expressing gratitude for the things that are already helping you to achieve your goal.
In this case, here are some reasons you might be grateful:
- Your body allows you to move in a certain way
- You have access to free workouts on YouTube
- You know people who can motivate you to keep going
Practicing gratitude for the things you have, while working towards what you want, is a great way to attract positive energy in your life.
Free Resource: Get the Free Goal Planning Worksheet
Do you have any gratitude tips to share?
I hope this post has given you a few ideas to make gratitude work for you. Remember that it’s not our natural human state to feel gratitude all the time, but there is power in savoring what brings you joy on a regular basis. Leave a comment below if you have any of your own gratitude tips!
Catherine Beard
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