Daily Gratitude Practice Transforms Your Life For The Better
Affiliate links may be in this post.
Daily Gratitude Practice can be the foundation of positive change.
Wait, what? Saying “Thank you” can change my life?! Well, not exactly. I’m talking about DAILY gratitude practice as a ritual. It’s not the same as just saying “Thanks”.
Gratitude is defined as a noun, meaning the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
Oxford Dictionary
Gratitude is a social emotion. One that we recognize outside of ourselves, when we appreciate good things. Yet gratitude is internally felt as we benefit from its rewards when practiced.
Daily Gratitude practice is something different, it’s more INTENTIONAL. Practicing gratitude daily, with intention can transform your life for the better! Gratitude practice is positive mental health.
Table of Contents
17 Health Benefits of Daily Gratitude Practice?
This article by UCLA Health talks about a study that found an association between practicing gratitude and lower levels of depression. But, it’s not just going to reduce depression symptoms, gratitude has other health benefits including:
- reduced anxiety
- stress relief
- better decision making
- improved mood
- reduced depression
- motivates exercise
- better quality of sleep
- increased happiness
- emotional regulation
- improved relationships
- lowered risk for heart disease
- prevents overeating
- improved immunity
- pain reduction
- improved physical health
- positive mindset
- fosters empowerment
Isn’t that amazing? Just practicing gratitude every day can help you in so many ways. Make sure you read on to learn the exact ways it works.
The Science Behind Daily Gratitude Practice
Get ready for this! Did you know practicing gratitude can be a powerful health habit?
There are numerous studies about how gratitude can change your brain, so it’s not up for debate. It can have profound effects psychologically and neurologically.
According to this article, on the neuroscience of gratitude, the brain does change when we are thankful!
However, it is something we have to practice every day to see the results. A shift in your perspective and mental well-being can be seen and felt as early as 30 days after starting, and can potentially last even longer.
The health benefits listed above are from the studies cited in the Research.com article I have linked. Here’s a snippet of one on sleep.
“…the researchers discovered that gratitude drives negatives thoughts away, especially before bedtime, thus making more room for positive thoughts and reflections that contribute to a more peaceful and longer uninterrupted slumber,
(Wood et al., 2009, p. 43-48)
Personally, I can say this works because I have practiced this nightly for years; and it has improved my sleep.
I am less worrisome and anxious at bedtime when I take the time to write a few things I am grateful for.
I am sure to express feelings and appreciation for the things that bring me peace and calm. This makes a huge difference in being able to fall asleep.
Remembering positive experiences can help you find gratitude.
Feel gratefulness for the ability to express a problem. It doesn’t mean you need to find solutions right then, but just identifying it can help.
This can put your mind at ease before bedtime.
Adopt an ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ Today
You can start gratitude practice TODAY!
Literally you can start right now. Repeat this line out loud:
“I am feeling grateful today for finding this article on the health benefits of gratitude”.
There, it’s not so hard.
No, you don’t have to say them out loud, but repeating positive affirmations and gratitude statements out loud can help seal it in your brain.
Include writing them down and you have a trifecta!
Some say if you tell yourself what you are grateful for IN A MIRROR, then it is even better!
I will show you more ways to practice gratitude that you can work into your daily routine, easily.
Check out these creative, simple ways to bring gratitude to the forefront of your day to transform your life.
- keep a gratitude journal
- write thank you notes
- meditate with gratitude
- repeat a gratitude mantra
- spend time in gratitude
- give or “pay it forward”
- random acts of kindness
- make gratitude art
- use daily prompts (see below)
6 Positive Prompts for Morning Daily Gratitude Practice
Here are some ways to say thanks each day. Use this as a mantra-type exercise for expressing gratitude.
Write these on sticky notes and adhere them in various places you will visit in the morning:
your bathroom mirror, the coffee pot,
breakfast table, clothes closet…
you get the idea!
In other words, not a journal entry, but just a statement.
Choose as many as you wish to start the day with.
Reading them aloud will reinforce these sentiments as truths about you.
It is fine to repeat the same statements everyday. Feel free to change it if you have many things.
Simply read it aloud or in your own head.
I have provided a sample sentence under the 6 Prompts.
- PROMPT: I am thankful for (something tangible you HAVE),
- SAMPLE: I am thankful for my car to transport me to my job each day.
- PROMPT: I appreciate (something about WHO YOU ARE),
- SAMPLE: I appreciate that I am patient.
- PROMPT: I am aware of my gift of (a TALENT) and feel so blessed.
- SAMPLE: I am aware of my creativity and feel so blessed.
- PROMPT: I am thankful for experiencing this: ( an EXPERIENCE that shaped you)
- SAMPLE: I am thankful for moving states 7 times in my life.
- PROMPT: I appreciate inheriting (a TRAIT) from my ancestors.
- SAMPLE: I appreciate my thick, curly hair.
- PROMPT: I am grateful for (an ABILITY) that makes me unique.
- SAMPLE: I am grateful for artistic abilities that make me unique.
Gratitude Prompt Cards
If you prefer, there are plenty of pre-made Gratitude prompt cards to use. This one has questions to inspire grateful living.
Buy Now → I love the style of this one: Moments of Gratitude Deck with mindful reflections for happier days, because the prompts are perfect for journaling.
Buy Now → 13 Journal Prompts for Daily Gratitude Practice
Journaling is a great way to expand on WHY you are feeling grateful.
You will state the thing or person you are grateful for and connect it to a story; or add more context.
You can journal anytime, but one thing I have found helpful, as stated in the above paragraphs on sleep improvement, is to journal before bed.
Journals for this purpose are easy to find these days. You can also use any book with blank or lined pages.
Hard or soft cover. Spiral or stitched.
The important thing is that you just find something to start writing in.
If you want a journal to help you with prompts built in, then I recommend this Original Gratitude Journal, pictured here.
Have a book and ready to go? Then let’s get started. Pick one to three prompts to answer every night before bed. Check out this amazing Gratitude Box Kit to help you follow through. It’s perfect for bedside and it makes a great gift too!
Here are more simple journal prompts for daily use:
- Talk about one thing at work/career today that you are thankful for.
- Take a moment to journal about the positive things in your health you are grateful for.
- What in your home life brings you happiness that you are thankful for?
- Name something in nature that brings you joy and you would miss if you couldn’t experience it.
- What challenge are you grateful for overcoming recently?
- Is there a person you could recognize in a journal entry, who has helped you?
- Have you enjoyed a favorite food, drink, movie, trip recently that you can acknowledge today?
- Looking at your job today, can you appreciate your efforts?
- What achievements are you proud of today, this week, this month?
- Recall a time someone supported a decision you made.
- Share a moment you witnessed something endearing that made you feel good or happy.
- Name a part of your physical body that feel grateful to have and discuss why.
- Highlight a special feeling or event that brought you happiness.
Buy Now → Overcoming Challenges in Building a Daily Gratitude Practice
There are always going to be challenges to starting a new ritual.
Just like starting a new exercise routine, you have to give your mind and body time to adjust to the rhythm. Rest assured that this one is 100% worth the time and effort you give to it.
Some common obstacles to expressing gratitude:
- negativity: train your brain to become more aware of the good things–fight negativity bias
- greed: rewire your thoughts to be a giver not a taker
- unable to forgive: this is crucial to seeing the good in things
- distractions: find the quiet space for this practice
- comparisons: when we compare ourselves to others, we are focusing on what we don’t have.
- skepticism: do your research-it does change the brain for the better
- narcissism: shift from self-centeredness to appreciating others, have more empathy
- time management: schedule time to be in a gratitude moment
- holding grudge: accept why you are not forgiving and let it go
- anger: write a letter or entry about the anger and resolve it
- not seeing results fast enough: be patient, it can take 30 days or more to see change
- not having proper foundation: follow guidance in this article to get started
Struggling to get started?
If you are really struggling to get started, then practice some meditation, or deep breathing to relax. Allow your mind to flow into a positive state by imagining happy thoughts.
When we practice daily gratitude we are humbled. We are telling ourselves and the universe; or our higher power that we are thankful for help because we cannot do it alone. Did you hear that? We can’t do everything alone, so be grateful to someone or something for help.
Being Intentional with Gratitude
As I mentioned above, it isn’t enough to just say thanks. We need to be specific all the way around in the gratitude statements. We should really “spend time” in the gratitude moment. Stop yourself when you say thanks.
Think of a more meaningful way to express this gratitude with specific words. Each gratitude statement, mantra, or journal entry should include these parts:
- the person, place or thing you are grateful to
- the action you want to be thankful for
- the feeling you have or will have
I am thankful for my sister showing me how to make sourdough bread from scratch.
April’s gratitude journal entry
I appreciate that she took the time to write the recipe and give me some of her starter.
This enables me to make fresh, wholesome bread for my family every week and I am grateful for this skill, now.
It makes me feel happy and like a good mother to provide warm sourdough bread to my children whenever they need it.
I feel loved and appreciated by my family when I bake fresh bread for them.
A Routine for Daily Gratitude Practice
Make this practice part of your daily routine. Whether you journal before bed or start the day with positive gratitude statements, make it a habit and it will repay you with positivity and happiness, and very possibly a healthier life!
Personally, I sprinkle positive gratitude statements into my morning face and hair routine. I say the words to myself in the mirror. It is a beautiful way to start the day.
Connect the practice of gratitude to broader themes of self-awareness, self-compassion, and goal setting.
Here are three ways to express gratitude daily:
- Morning gratitude statement/mantra for yourself
- Daily expression of gratitude to someone else
- Gratitude journal before bed for raising self awareness
How Gratitude Practice Boosts Personal Growth and Transforms Your Life
Practicing gratitude daily can boost your personal growth in just 30 days. Sticking with a routine of thankfulness can help you be more optimistic and overcome challenges. I have actually been able to approach situations with a growth mindset because I have more gratitude in my daily life.
Good Vibes Only!
Gratitude can strengthen relationships, help you develop a positive mindset, and remind you of what is truly important in life. It will assist you in examining your values and priorities, leading to a deeper understanding of yourself.
When you are grateful, you look for more good things, and focus less on negatives. I find that I don’t even want to hear anyone be negative anymore. It totally kills my vibe!
You should be careful when you begin this practice and pay attention to who you surround yourself with. Positive and negative energy can have a ripple effect and influence others.
Acts of Kindness
Reciprocity may have been the original way people and primates historically expressed gratitude.
If you receive a favor, then pay it forward. Good deeds and acts of kindness are forms of gratitude.
Giving and practicing gratitude toward others triggers the release of feel-good chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin in the brain
You can be spontaneous with this one too!
Remember that words can be more powerful than gifts, when delivered with sincerity.
Gratitude helps us with forgiveness and empathy. It is difficult to hold a grudge, be mad, and judge others when we are in state of gratitude practice.
This positivity can motivate you to set goals that will help you with personal growth.
One way I practice gratitude is by adding thankful statements to my vision board. That way, as I review my dreams and goals each day on my vision board, I am reminded of the things I am grateful for.
Check out my other post on How to Create Vision Boards with Intention. Learn how to write intentional goals in three steps.
40 Things to be Grateful for Right Now
Here are 40 things almost anyone can feel grateful for, without getting too personal.
- sunlight
- rain for the planet
- clean drinking water
- a comfortable place to sleep
- access to education
- food to eat
- friends
- family
- pets
- electricity
- opportunity to travel freely
- laughter
- brain for processing
- eyes for sight
- technology (ai, wifi, etc,)
- indoor plumbing
- parents
- teachers
- music
- a job or career
- a car
- warm clothes
- beaches
- mountains
- singing birds
- abilities and talents
- airplanes
- teeth
- sense of smell
- memory
- photography
- a home with heat
- air conditioning
- ability to move your body
- minerals found in nature
- chocolate
- coffee/tea
- language
- poetry
- fruits and vegetables
Conclusion: Gratitude as the Key to Transformation
Gratitude is a simple practice with a profound impact on health, personal growth, attitude, and overall life! Gratitude practice will help you with a growth mindset and life transformation when practiced daily, with intention. So commit to this journey everyday and take small steps. Use the tools in this article to help you with motivation and a daily routine.
