Daily Gratitude

Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude. A.A. Milne Winnie the Pooh

Gratitude is an important part of living a quality life. It’s a go-to resource for me whenever I’m filled with the negativity that comes from anxiety and worry.

I can complain about the thorns on my rose bushes, or I can bask in the glory of the sweet-smelling, intricately delicate blooms made up of glorious shades of every color. Which will I choose?

Research has found those who focused on daily blessings are more optimistic, vigorous, pleasant, and better able to handle life’s troubles. Their sleep is better, and they are sick less often. They are more charitable and make greater progress toward their goals.*

Gratitude mantras are part of my daily meditation routine.

Begin your daily journal with a thankful statement.

Here are some of mine:

“I am grateful for the compassion I see around me.”

“I love the empathy I have developed for others.”

“I am thankful for understanding in my life.

Write a Gratitude Journal

Every journal entry, I start with something I’m thankful for. It creates the tone for the path I want to follow throughout my life.

Middle-of-the-night gratitude mantras:

Sometimes I wake in the night when I’m worried about something. The best way for me to go back to sleep is to repeat several mantras over and over.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope

Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify. Henry David Thoreau, Walden and Other Writings

Let go and let God. Origin unknown

Create your own mantras—ones that speak to the personal issues you are working though  

Gratitude Visualizations

Every morning when I meditate, I like to do a couple of gratitude visualizations. I always use somethings that I think will cross my path that day.

When the wind blows, the pines in our backyard whisper in the breeze. Pines smell deliciously like a forest. They are my giant protectors. I have watched them grow from small seedlings to large guardians of the backyard. If they can grow so straight and tall from small seedlings, then I know I can grow straight and tall as well.

Make up your own visualizations from things in your surroundings. We do have a beautiful world.

            Keep gratitude in the forefront of your life. Those who include gratitude in their lives are healthier, sleep better, and have less illness than those who don’t.

            *Emmons and McCullough, in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,