In our last blog, we talked about how being grateful can reduce stress. We also discussed how, in turn, this can have an impact on your weight, sleep quality, self-esteem and more.
In case you missed it, you can catch “How Saying Thank You Can Impact Your Weight” right here.
We also promised to share some different ways to start a Gratitude Practice this week, with our Shaping Perspectives Gratitude Toolbox.
Creating a Gratitude Toolbox
When you create a gratitude toolbox, this can have a profound effect on your life, including your relationship with food, your body, and much more.
So, let’s gratefully jump in!
Start a gratitude journal.
Write things that you are grateful for, whether in list style, paragraphs, stories, charts, phrases, or whatever works for you.
Want to find out more about the power of journaling and how it can help you change your life? Have a look at this.
Write a thank you letter to someone who positively impacted your life.
It could be a friend, mentor, coach, teacher, a Girl Scout leader, bus driver, boss, cousin or a fictional movie character. This is something that can be sent or not…it is the act of writing it that counts.
Visit someone who is or has been special in your life to say “thank you” in person.
This can be a visit directly to someone’s home, work, or gravesite. If you don’t know where the person is, you can go to a special place that reminds you of them and speak to them from your heart.
Write a thank you letter to a body part.
When you write a thank you note to a body part, it may be a part of your body you have not liked and have spoken negatively to in the past.
Take a moment to say thank you for what it has done for you. It could look something like this:
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- Stomach: Thank you for allowing me the gift of giving birth to four amazing babies.
- Thighs: Thank you for continuing to transport my body where I want and need to go every day.
- Arms: Thank you for being strong enough to hold my grandchildren.
Say a gratitude meditation at the end of your day.
Take a few minutes to close your eyes, notice your breath, and say thank you to whatever you want: a good conversation you had that day, a great cup of coffee, a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, strong legs…and so on.
Say thank you at mealtime (saying Grace): Thanking the food you eat.
Thank the food that fuels you to live your life. Say thank you to the store you received it from, thank you to the farmer who grew it, thank you to the person who prepared it, or thank you to your stomach for digesting it.
The mirror thank you.
Take a moment to look in the mirror, and find some compassionate and kind words to say to yourself. Treating yourself in this manner will decrease stress and help increase self-confidence and self-esteem.
Here are 3 steps for more positive self-talk.
Daily ritual practice.
What is one thing you do every day? Have a cup of coffee? Take a warm shower? Get into the car to drive to work? During one of your daily rituals, take a moment to give thanks. It could be something you take for granted—your ability to hear, walk, see, or it could be a thank you to your car, your dog, your coffee…
Starting a gratitude practice can have wonderful health and well-being benefits. Find one that feels right to you, and begin to notice the positive effects right away.
If you’ve enjoyed making a gratitude toolbox, why not take the time to build a self-care toolbox, too? Here’s how to do just that.
Do you have a different way to practice gratitude? Please email us at annie@shapingperspectives.com to let us know!
Or join us at the Diet-Free Sisterhood Community Facebook page to share. It’s a safe, non-judgmental space where we share our gratitude practices, successes, thoughts, and experiences while supporting and encouraging each other to live a life of peace, joy, happiness, and freedom.
Schedule a Complimentary Clarity Conversation today.
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Hi Annie, First, I am grateful that I got to meet back up with you, after all these years! It was great to see you and be back at PSU(PSC), spending time with faculty and alumni.
I just wanted to say that I try to practice gratitude at bedtime, thinking back, over the day and recall three things(or more) I am thankful for happening in my day. I challenge my students at Loomis Chaffee to do the same, allowing them to even be thankful for things that didn’t happen…i.e..thank goodness I didn’t have to take the S.A.T.’s today, as to have some empathy for others who do, or be thankful for having a roof over my head and a warm place to sleep, as there are many homeless persons who could use some help.
Hi Jean,
I am just seeing this, so I apologize. Thank you for sharing. I love looking back on the day at nighttime as well. Allows you to fall asleep with positive thoughts. I am happy to hear the ways you are sharing this practice with your students as well. You are making wonderful contribution to the next generation…May they pass gratitude and thankfulness on…Thank you for the impact that you are making. I greatly appreciate you.