What are you grateful for today?
Who joined in with the ‘Clap for Carers’ yesterday evening? Wasn’t it amazing how the country came together to say ‘thank you’ to our amazing NHS and keyworkers?
Here’s a video if you missed it https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52058013
I personally found it incredibly uplifting and quite moving to be on my doorstep joining in with the whole of Weston clapping and cheering. It felt like it brought us all together in a time where many of us feel confused, lost and sad. Gratitude is a powerful thing!
Gratitude is, put simply, being grateful; focusing on good things in our life, making ourselves aware of what we are thankful for.
Psychologists agree that making gratitude a daily habit is beneficial not just for our state of mind, but also for our overall health and wellbeing! So why is gratitude so helpful? Here are a few reasons:
- Gratitude helps shift our mindset from focusing on the negative to the positive
- Gratitude changes our emotions, and positive emotions make us feel more energised, motivating us to keep going
- Gratitude shifts our focus outwards – when we become more aware of the good things in our lives, it can make us think of others who don’t have the same, and spur us on to help.
I used to have a ‘gratitude journal’ and every evening I would sit and list 3 things I was thankful for on that day. Some days were easier than others, but I always managed to think of 3! If my day hadn’t felt particularly great, I would try to think outside of my own life, to perhaps things I might usually take for granted – like the amazing NHS or the beautiful sunset outside.
So how could we practise more gratitude, especially at a time with so much uncertainty and challenge?
Try this technique:
- Look around you, is there something that you have or own that you are thankful for?
- Think back through your day, is there anything you might have taken for granted that others in the world wouldn’t have?
- Reflect on the people in your life, who are you thankful for today and why?
Here are mine: Today I’m thankful for the nice cake I baked with my daughter! I’m grateful for the sunshine which makes the days feel brighter even when we’re staying in! And I’m thankful to God: my faith in Him enables me to have someone I can trust in and pray to however I’m feeling.
What 3 things are you grateful for today?
