The Power of Gratitude!
I’m sure you’ve all heard of gratitude but have you heard of a daily gratitude practice?
As a Holistic Nutritionist, I consider all aspects of a person when helping them achieve their health and wellness goals, including mindset! A daily gratitude practice has such a positive impact on your emotional health and physical health!
Our minds are so powerful and science has proven this with the “placebo” effect and the “nocebo” effect. The placebo effect is when someone gets the same positive benefits from taking a sugar pill as the people who are taking the medication. This is just once example. The nocebo effect is the same premise but the opposite. It is when you believe something is causing harm or making you sick, it will actually make you sick and harm you! Our minds are so fascinating and these two effects show us that our mind is extremely powerful! The good news… we are in complete control of our minds and thoughts! With some easy lifestyle changes you can begin to change the way you feel!
A study conducted in June 2020 looked at research data on gratitude and the resulting effect on a person’s physical health markers. The results showed that in the majority of the studies a person experienced sleep quality improvements when incorporating gratitude. Also, there were improvements in blood pressure, blood sugar, asthma and eating habits.[1]
What is a Daily Gratitude Practice?
This is something super simple that you can do at any point of the day but the morning or evening are the two best times! The best way for a daily gratitude practice to have an impact and become part of your life is to make it into a routine and a habit. There are two main methods of a gratitude practice. The first is writing down 3 things you are grateful for and the second is telling someone 3 things you are grateful for. This is an easy practice that takes no more than 2 minutes.
My husband and I have a daily gratitude practice and it has been such an awesome addition to our health routine. Every morning on our walk with our dog, we share 3 things we are grateful for with each other. This usually leads to us sharing stories or talking about these things which further reinforce our gratitude for them. I love to start my day with our gratitude practice. I feel like it sets us up for a really wonderful day of work, errands, family time, friend time or whatever else we have on the go for that day!
How to Begin a Daily Gratitude Practice
Step 1 : Pick a time of day, or daily habit that you can anchor your gratitude practice too.
This is the best way to start a new habit, by incorporating it into another habit you already have! By doing this, it will help you remember and be more successful! My husband and I do our daily gratitude practice every morning on our walk with our dog! We walk every morning during the week and on weekends. This is honestly my favorite time of the day. We, as a couple, really just get to connect and talk and catch up. We get to just be present with each other which is so nice in our busy life and world! At some point on our walk, one of us will start with the 3 things we are grateful for that day! Another option is to say your gratitude’s to your self in the shower, or share them with you family before dinner!
Step 2 : Choose weather you want to share it out loud or write it down.
This is a really important to consider. Pick whichever one you feel most comfortable with. I started my daily gratitude practice by saying it to myself since I was embarrassed and felt like others would judge me. This was what was comfortable and safe for me at the time. I am so glad I honored it and did it anyways! It helped me create the foundation for a beautiful daily gratitude practice that has improved my mental and physical health so much!
Step 3 : Set a reminder in your phone to help remind you for the first few days until it becomes second nature!
Adding a new habit into your life can be hard, even if you really want to do it! This is a great way to help you really anchor your new practice into your life. You can also add a sticky note to your bathroom mirror or your fridge as a reminder to yourself! Once again, this is all about setting yourself up for success!
Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below, on Instagram or via e-mail!
