Stop and Smell the Gratitude

Many of us are constantly searching for a way to quickly change our mindset when we cannot excuse ourselves or get to a mat to meditate. What can we do to stop our minds from going down a negative path? How can we find balance and push unhelpful emotions aside? I’ve found that one of the fastest ways to shift the mood is by actively being grateful.

 

Here are a few tips to try, even right now as you read. Feel the simplicity and efficacy of this subtle change in thinking.

1. Breathe and think gratitude. Close your eyes. On the inhale, think of what you are grateful for, and then exhale. Inhale again and think of another thing you are grateful for. Continue this 10 times. Feel the calmness as you open your eyes.

 

2. Make a list of 10 things that you feel grateful for and hang it on your bathroom mirror. Let it serve as a daily reminder that there is a way through every block.

 

3. In the moments waiting for the bus or standing in a line, close your eyes and inhale to think gratitude instead of checking your phone. How much more at peace do you feel by tuning into gratitude? This is a split second well-spent.

 

4. If a business meeting, or even a holiday meal, begins to take a turn towards negativity, change the conversation. Ask everyone to go around the table and say what they are grateful for, perhaps even sharing moments of joy or accomplishment, like receiving a paycheck stub.  Notice the shift in mood of the group.

We all have the capacity to shift our moods–be it for an instant, a day, or longer–but we have to keep practicing and retrain our minds. May stopping to smell gratitude bring you more inner peace and radiance this holiday season. Try these tips with your whole family!

1 Comment
  • Heather, thank you for posting this very apposite reminder. This is especially useful and timely in the aftermath of the US election, and changes occurring in the wider world at this time. A mind-set is only that; a way that people have decided to live, as a human being. Ideas/Things that are “set” (are rigid) can always be successfully changed to something more fluid, authentic, and inclusive.☺🙏

    November 24, 2016 at 8:16 pm
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