Cultivating Happiness: A Mindful Approach to Gratitude
My first Medium article was about gratitude and how embracing a thankful mindset enhanced my happiness and overall contentment. Today, I want to talk about how I practice gratitude, how my practice has evolved, and some of the things I’ve learned.
When I first started expressing gratitude, I was depressed AF. I’d heard of the supposed benefits tied to gratitude and hoped it would be the miracle cure for all of my issues. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
I also think that when it came to gratitude, I was so anxious and hyper-vigilant all the time due to C-PTSD (yay!) that I was never really able to sit and properly reflect on my day; I’d just hurriedly write things.
This meant my initial attempts were flippant and cynical because, honestly, I couldn’t think of anything I was genuinely thankful for. Things were fucked up, but they could be worse, right? What I didn’t realize at the time, was that I was gaslighting myself into thinking everything was fine, by suppressing the negative feelings and emotions I was experiencing.
A few years ago, I decided to try gratitude again and noticed the following changes.
- I became more mindful throughout the day
- My focus shifted to appreciating what I had, celebrating the small joys instead of dwelling on what I felt I lacked.
- Rather than brushing aside negative emotions, I embraced them as a natural part of being human and I started focusing on the lessons I learned during tough times, and how I felt supported by those around me
This brings me to how my practice has evolved and my current approach to practicing gratitude
When I resumed practicing gratitude, despite dedicating time to the task, my entries still felt rushed (mostly because I’d grab my journal as an afterthought right before bedtime). Now, I intentionally take the time to truly reflect on my day by incorporating the following practices:
- Looking at the photos I took that day
- Recalling the noteworthy moments of the day.
- Thinking about what made the challenging moments more manageable (such as using CBD for my endometriosis cramps).
- Acknowledging the victories of the day.
What have I learned/gained from practicing gratitude?
- Mindfulness: Through practicing gratitude, I have to be more mindful throughout the day, which has fostered a heightened awareness of the present moment.
- Shift in Perspective: My focus has shifted from dwelling on what I perceived I lacked to appreciating and celebrating the small joys in life.
- Embracing Emotions: Rather than suppressing negative emotions, I have learned to acknowledge and embrace them as a natural part of being human. This has led to a healthier emotional relationship with myself.
I feel I have found a path from cynicism to celebration with gratitude now a deliberate practice, bringing both awareness and joy into each day.
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