20 ways to practice gratitude

Posted on Nov 18, 2020

happy clapping

You’ve heard about the benefits of practicing gratitude. Your friends are doing it. The celebs are all over it.

But what precisely does practicing gratitude look like?

How could it be easy and fun?

How to easily cultivate more gratitude (20 ideas)

Before eating dinner with my family, take turns sharing aloud what we’re grateful for from the day

Pick any object I see and mentally name 3 things I can find to love about it 

Find a reason to thank someone

Mentally thank the inanimate objects around me as I use them (socks I put away in the drawer, dental floss, chef’s knife)

Make eye contact when I thank the grocery clerk or barista

Find a quote about gratitude that I like and record it in the front of this book

When something lousy happens, consider the opposite: How is this wonderful? 

Remember that I could, at any time, lose the person, animal, situation, identity, or thing that I love

Pick a specific joyful memory and write about it in detail

Give a card to someone who makes a difference in your life: a friend, relative, coworker, service provider

Notice 3 ways I’ve grown in the last decade

In the next email I write, include a genuine compliment or note of appreciation toward the recipient

When I’m feeling an unpleasant emotion, mentally thank the sensation for existing and for communicating with me

Stand naked in front of the bathroom mirror, admire my miraculous body, and thank it for everything it’s given me

 Find a beautiful journal in which to keep gratitude notes

Consider the life area in which I’m the most dissatisfied (work, romance, health…) and write 10+ reasons I’m genuinely grateful for my current situation in that life area

Think of something I’m grateful for while brushing my teeth

Create a visual representation of what I most appreciate (draw, collage, dedicate a shelf to photos and keepsakes that make me feel grateful) 

Buy a small thank-you gift for someone

Contemplate some of the “worst” things that have happened to me and notice how I’ve learned, grown, and benefited from those experiences

What else?