Thankful for All Things

It’s 5:40 something in the morning when I feel a soft paw tap my shoulder. It’s soon followed by an insistent bonk of my cat’s head on mine. “Murrrrp!” I translate the cat speak and pet Leo to signal that I’ll soon feed him. Several minutes later I cup my coffee in my hands as I head to my mat. The sun is just peeking above the horizon as I sit and take my first mindful breath. Hands on heart. Breathe in . . . breathe out. I am thankful for this moment and the day ahead.

Just as I fall into a rhythm of inhaling and exhaling, I have fallen into the rhythm of expressing gratitude in recent years. Those years have not laid a smooth, easy path, but I appreciate the journey just the same. Without the experiences, without the loss, I would not be where I am today. So, today I give thanks for it all, just as it happened, unchanged. I am softer, yet stronger.

CONNECTing to Gratitude

Remaining in a constant state of gratitude comes from practice. 

As with all things in life, you can easily take something useful and render it useless. It comes down to mindful connection. Anyone can make gratitude a task to be checked off or express gratitude for something that they really don’t appreciate or value. Just think about the people you know who shower praises about their significant others in social circles, when in secret they complain about those relationships.

Be mindful. Express your gratitude inwardly and outwardly. If you’re grateful for your health, support it through healthy choices in the food you eat and the exercise you give your body. If you’re thankful for quality time with family, be fully present and engaged when you are with them.

Connecting to gratitude has many benefits:

• Increases happiness

• Decreases negative emotions

• Strengthens emotional resilience

• Increases social support 

• Reduces risk of disease

• Improves immunity

• Strengthens self-esteem

• Supports positive outlook on life

4 Gratitude Practices for Daily Life

#1 10 Breaths of Gratitude

To breathe is life. Take two minutes at the beginning of each day to inhale and exhale deeply with ten full breaths. You can even do this in bed right when you wake up. Focus only on the breath. As you breathe, give thanks for a fresh day full of endless possibilities. 

You’ll find that these ten breaths of tapping into your inner peace will permeate into other parts of your day. Bring this practice on your way to work or while running errands. Doing this will ensure a deep, level-headed and peaceful breath is available when you run into tense and stressful situations, enabling you to handle it all with grace.

Look for the beauty in life and you will find it.

#2 Gratitude Journal

Participants in a study by Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough wrote down what they were thankful for in a gratitude journal. The results showed an increase in emotional regulation, an overall positive outlook, and a reduction in stress and anxiety. 

Gratitude journaling (and journaling, in general) also activates the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which controls your ability to organize thoughts, make decisions, and self-reflect. Journaling daily creates a daily practice of strengthening the executive functions of your brain.

So, what do you write? Writing in a gratitude journal may feel clunky at first, like a student responding to a teacher’s prompt (“Today I am grateful for . . .”). 

Don’t feel like you have to search for something to be thankful for. It’s more about mindful connection with what is already in your presence. If it’s silent, you can be thankful for the peace that surrounds you. If there is noisy chatter in your home, you can be thankful for the people creating it. If it’s a sunny day, you can be thankful for the beauty. If it’s a gray day, you can be thankful for the blanket of solitude it offers.

Mentally and emotionally connecting to the things you are grateful for strengthens your heart-brain connection. Writing them down reinforces that connection.

#3 Planting Seeds of Gratitude

Gratitude improves your attitude (and other people’s attitudes, too). 

CONNECT with other people and propagate meaningful experiences with the people you love. Take a mindful moment to make eye contact with people every time you say, “Thank you.”

Making eye contact activates signals in the brain to connect to that person. We see evidence of this when we find ourselves mirroring someone’s body posture when we are engrossed in conversation. 

#4 Gratitude Mindful Meditation

Engaging in daily gratitude practices is a way of honoring what you value most.

Reflect on what you value in your life. Visualize how you honor what you value. Express gratitude for each of these things, giving each one individual attention and thanks.

Practice daily to build regular deposits of gratitude, compassion, and resilience that support your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

When you are thankful for what you have you are thankful for what you receive.

Enjoy this CONNECT Guided Gratitude Meditation just for you!

A Heartfelt “Thanks!”

I would like to thank each of you, my CONNECT friends, for taking time to read these newsletters, sending me feedback, and engaging with my content across various social media platforms. I appreciate you and you enrich my life.

Sending you all Peace, Love, & Harmony.

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