Since February/March time I have been spouting off to friends and family (sorry!) about the book I have been reading all about gratitude (The Magic, Rhonda Byrne) and now that I have finished it I would like to share with you a little of what I have learnt over the last few months.
The practice of gratitude is very much about being grateful for what we have right now and what we have had in the past, rather than moaning about what we don’t have or what could or should have been ours. This is based on the law of attraction, i.e. whatever you focus on, you will receive more of. Read that last sentence again… whatever you focus on, you will receive more of….so it’s about helping us to try to be aware of the thoughts in our head and the words we speak out loud. If we use these to focus on the parts of life we would rather have less of then we might be disappointed! And having a positive outlook or spin on life is always going to help.
Here are a couple of practices to get you started:
Childhood Gifts: Take out a pen and paper and start writing down all the things that you were given in your childhood that you are grateful for. Were you given: a roof over your head, food on the table, toys, clothes, shoes and did you travel by car, bus, train or bike, etc? There are so many things we take for granted that we were given as a child and they all cost time and money, so just reflect back and say “thank you” for everything you can think of. This I found hugely humbling.
End of the Day: Put something beside your bed (I use a pebble I collected on a beach in Marazion) that will remind you to run your mind back over the day and be grateful for the best thing that happened during the day. This is quick and easy and is lovely to do at the end of the day, just to remind us there are always nice things that happen each day no matter how tough the day was. There are also days when it’s difficult to pick just one thing, I love those days!
Health: Do you ever stop to think about your health and how it can impact your day? I rarely used to unless I went down with an illness and then it would dawn on me how great it is to feel good. Now I use the practice of saying thank you for my health in general and sometimes I break it down and say thank you for my organs, limbs, senses etc. Our health is so important and this just helps remind us even when we aren’t sick!
I would love to hear from you about any practices you use, so head over to my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lorimcphersonwellbeing or follow me on Twitter @studio7therapy and let me know what’s going on!
Health and happiness
Lori