Are gratitude rituals a woo-woo way of passing the time? Or is there a subtler science at play when we practice feeling grateful for the good in our lives?
“The greatest source of happiness is the ability to be greatful at all times” Zig Ziglar
This seems so simple it almost feels like cheating and yet for me when it comes to health, happiness and well being gratitude seems to be the answer to more (and more and more) of life's questions.
In sadness, strife, stress, dispassion, challenge, boredom, anxiety, fear and apathy - doing whatever you possibly can to immerse yourself in a perspective of thanks and gratitude for everything you have can be a game changer.
By practising gratitude your perspective shifts. Mood is improved, hope is restored, and your experience of everything from the mundane and everyday to the big whoppers of life are transformed.
Gratitude from a neurological perspective
The neurological processes that occur when we practice gratitude mean that the benefits can be more far reaching and longer term than you might at first imagine.
When you use your conscious thinking mind to ponder on the things that you are grateful for, this creates and sustains the neurological pathways in your brain that install the circuitry for positive thoughts, belief and expectation.
While practising gratitude you selectively choose positive, good-feeling thoughts. The more often that you think these thoughts, the stronger the nerve cells that create that thought fire together. And nerve cells that fire together, wire together.
Meaning, the more often you choose a positive thought over a negative one, the stronger the brain’s signalling pathways become between events (both internal and external) and your positive optimistic response to events.
This process rewires your thought processes to automatically respond in that way in the future.
When to practice this process?
The same principles apply any time you choose positive thoughts over negative ones. But sometimes, this is easier said than done. Not impossible, and very powerful the more you practice it. But suddenly deciding to radically change your outlook on life and consistently choose positive thoughts in every situation may feel like you are fighting an uphill battle to begin with.
And that’s where a gratitude practice comes in. Rather than waiting until you are in the midst of a tumultuous situation or challenging moment - it’s a good idea to practice gratitude in the quieter, less demanding moments of life. So that you are doing the effective work of installing this powerful neurological circuitry when you have the time and space to do so. Gradually the effects of the practice will start to show up in those more fraught situations too of course.
The long term effects of a gratitude practice
As I mentioned, choosing to shift your perspective to one of gratitude can have a huge impact on your experience day-to-day. Improving your mood when you feel like perhaps you got out of the wrong side of bed this morning, giving you more patience and understanding if something is not going your way. These are all wonderful, shall we say, ‘topical’ uses of gratitude.
But what about in the longer term? Well the answer is fairly simple. If the ongoing use of gratitude rewires your brain to more automatically select a positive response in the face of any event, then your thoughts will be altered for good. As positive thought pathways begin to wire together, the opposite happens to negative ones and they literally begin to disintegrate. Why, thank you neural plasticity!!
And bearing in mind that your thoughts are the initiator of every word you speak, every action you take, every plan you make, every reaction you have - this can be truly life changing stuff.
Gratitude prompts
So what exactly IS a gratitude practice? Well, the most common method is to write a good old fashioned list. Reading through a list of questions or prompts encourages you to pause and contemplate the answers. Thus initiating positive thoughts, which in turn begin to construct those magnificent neural pathways in the brain.
To get you started here is a list of 30 of my favourite gratitude prompts. This is a pretty well tried and tested list which I have in some form or other used for some years now. Please feel free to copy and paste this into your phone or write down somewhere that it will always be to hand. It can be quite rewarding to mark your ‘mood’ from 1-10 before you start and then again after you have been through all or parts of the list. I can’t think of a time it has ever failed to give me some degree of welcome upliftment :)
1 ~ Name one of the things which you are most grateful for today.
2 ~ What made you smile recently?
3 ~ Who are you most grateful for and why?
4 ~ Why are you grateful for your home?
5 ~ What made you laugh recently?
6 ~ What are you learning about yourself that is of benefit to you?
7 ~ Have you ever discovered any hidden blessings in the midst of a difficult situation?
8 ~ Name some of the things you love about your friends, your partner and/or your pets.
9 ~ What luxury or modern invention are you grateful for today?
10 ~ Why are you grateful for your body?
11 ~ Name one of your favourite places.
12 ~ What is your favourite food or drink at the moment?
13 ~ What skills or knowledge do you possess which you are thankful for?
14 ~ Name something you love about the current season.
15 ~ What are you thankful for in nature?
16 ~ Who is your inspiration or muse today? Which of their traits would you like to embody?
17 ~ What is a dream or a wish you have that you would like to come true?
18 ~ In what small or big ways might you be able to create more beauty in your life?
19 ~ What was something you found comfort in recently?
20 ~ Name a time when you were in awe of nature.
21 ~ What is your favourite song or piece of music right now and why?
22 ~ What was some positive news you received recently?
23 ~ Name a memory which makes you smile.
24 ~ What is your favourite guilty pleasure and why do you love it?
25 ~ What was a recent challenge you are grateful for?
26 ~ What is your favourite part of your daily routine?
27 ~ What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
28 ~ Which item do you treasure the most and why?
29 ~ What is a freedom you are grateful for?
30 ~ What do you like about where you live?
And finally, a gorgeous Gratitude Ritual for your reading pleasure!
As an additional treat, why not pour yourself a delicious, soothing, hot cup of tea and take a moment to enjoy this beautiful Gratitude Ritual from Wilde Desire
The beautiful gifts of gratitude begin at home
so today invite a healing to happen
in your own body
in your own consciousness
in your own loving heart
that feels blessed to be alive
Notice all the riches you’ve been given
the feet that allow you to stand
the legs that allow you to walk
the stomach that allows you to eat
the lungs that allow you to breathe
the throat that allows you to speak
the mouth that allows you to taste
the nose that allows you to smell
the eyes that allow you to see
and your beating heart
that allows you to love
Honor them all
Become present to the treasures of your life
the opportunities that you have been given
the ones that have effortlessly opened up for you this year
Reflect on your family, your kids, your partner, your friends
Look through appreciative eyes
the eyes of what’s right
the eyes of the divine
Give thanks in a way that you never have before
Allow fear, doubt, struggle and pain
to melt away in the presence of this all-loving appreciation
Thank God that you have a consciousness that is able to shift and transform in just a moment
Thank God that you are courageous enough to take a moment to bless yourself
to bless the universe
to bless all those who love and guide you
and then to bless all of the world
Send your tears of love and gratitude
to those who are in pain
to those who are alone
to those who are confused
Allow the heavenly vibration of gratitude to puncture their fearful illusions and open up their hearts to what is truly divine
Today, take this vow of deep self-love and gratitude
knowing that when you are in the presence of this kind of love
you – as well as all of those around you – will flourish
Take five slow deep breaths, breathing in love, appreciation, gratitude and joy
Know that you are never alone and you will never be alone
We are all here surrounding you with love.
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