Practicing gratitude can support us in cultivating positive emotional and mental states and nurturing our sense of wellbeing.
By simply staying here, we relax more and more into the open dimension of our being. –Pema Chodron
The brain has a negativity bias, which means that it focuses more attention on what is wrong than on what is right. It does this in the interest of trying to help us to survive, and sometimes that is very useful, but it doesn’t mean that we have to dwell there. Practicing gratitude is one of the ways that we can incline our mind toward what is good and right with ourselves and the world. And it can help us to be more resilient in the face of uncertainty and difficult times.
We can practice gratitude by focusing our attention on what we feel grateful for. We can also write about what we feel grateful for in our mindful journaling practice. Whatever we rest our attention on grows, so when we focus more attention on gratitude, we begin to notice more things that we feel grateful for.
This week may we all pause to practice gratitude. In our commitment to cultivate a deepening practice, we become acquainted with our true nature, which is to be happy and at peace. We develop the capacity to be present to ourselves, regardless of what is arising in our inner landscape or our outer landscape. We learn that we can maintain a sense of inner calm in the midst of life’s outer storms.
This week try making a list of what you are grateful for. If you’re an artist, you might try making art about what you feel grateful for. If you’re a writer or have a journaling practice, try writing about gratitude. And then notice how this impacts your emotional and mental state of being.
Jen Johnson is a mindfulness coach and therapist teaching meditation for healing and creativity. Learn more about working with Jen.