6 Simple Steps to Start Practicing Gratitude Meditation Today

In simple terms, gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness when you look at all the blessings you have, despite the tough times you are facing.

Not many people are conditioned to feel gratitude. Therefore, they have to intentionally reflect and think about all the positive things they have in their lives. This is called gratitude meditation, which makes you feel alive once again and relieves anxiety.

Practicing gratitude meditation is the most essential, fundamental success habit everyone should adopt to live a happy life. It can improve mental health, relationships, and ways of thinking.

Regular gratitude journaling increases 25% sleep quality and 5 to 15% optimism (Amin, 2014). That’s why most spiritual scholars and life coaches emphasize gratitude meditation. Practicing gratitude meditation is the easiest way to raise your energy and feel better; your manifestation will happen faster than ever. It’s a type of mindful affirmation that can bring positivity and wellness.

Start your meditation journey with 6 simple steps to start practicing gratitude meditation today.

What is Gratitude Meditation?

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

Oprah Winfrey

As in the above quote, gratitude is the awareness of what we have in life and ignoring what we lack. Everyone has something missing, so instead of regretting what we don’t have, we should be thankful for what we have.

So, gratitude meditation helps you to shift your focus on the positive things in life, whether it’s a relationship, a job, financial stability, health, etc. According to studies, gratitude brings physical and mental well-being.

Benefits of Gratitude Meditation?

Gratitude meditation helps you to shift your focus on the positive things in life, whether it’s a relationship, a job, financial stability, health, etc. According to studies, gratitude brings physical and mental well-being.

It can help you cope with negative emotions, frustrations, stress, and despair. It helps you achieve your physical and mental health goals. Gratitude meditation is gaining popularity and relevance in today’s fast-paced world due to its numerous mental and physical health benefits.

Most people search for comprehensive and easy ways to manage stress and anxiety, so the appeal to gratitude meditation is continuously growing.

Some major benefits of gratitude meditation are:

• Gratitude meditation improves your sleep.
• Reduce fear and anxiety by regulating the stress hormone cortisol.
• A research review reveals that keeping gratitude journaling can cause a significant drop in diastolic blood pressure.
• When we practice gratitude, our mind releases dopamine and serotonin, the hormones that make us feel happy and regulate our emotions.
• Practicing gratitude lowers fatigue, reduces pain, and boosts your immune system.
• Gratitude relieves stress and despair, just as mental health reminders help in coping with mental illness and improving mental well-being.
• It strengthens our willpower by making us realize what we have.
• Being thankful to others improves relationships and helps control anger.
• It teaches the habit of self-care. People who practice gratitude meditation regularly are likely to take good care of themselves, including eating well and looking after their overall health.
• Gratitude meditation could be the best meditation for couples to improve their relationships.

How to Practice Gratitude Daily?

Are you impressed by the benefits? So, if you want to indulge in this powerful manifestation technique to achieve your physical and mental health goals. Follow our 6 steps to start practicing gratitude meditation today:

1. Find a Quiet Place and Set a Time

To start up and focus, find a quiet and peaceful place in your home, park, backyard, or anywhere. It can be any place where no one can distract you. Moreover, choose a time of the day for gratitude meditation and start with a little. It could be best to start with 5 minutes of gratitude meditation.

Different people have different energies at different times of the day. So, prefer a time when you feel fresh and more energetic. We recommend you do morning gratitude meditation because when you start your day on a positive note and a feeling of abundance, you will feel more blessed and happy all day. But if you don’t feel fresh or energized in the morning, you can choose a better time, as it is your gratitude meditation.

2. Sit Comfortably

After finalizing the time:

• Sit on the ground or chair with your legs crossed, or take a position where you will feel more comfortable.
• Keep your back straight and relaxed, but be alert.

3. Focus on Breathing

Now, start the meditation by focusing on your breath. Start with slow breathing. Close your eyes, inhale through your nose, and exhale with your mouth. This technique could help you feel present and prepare for gratitude. It swipes away distractions and brings focus.

4. Focus on Gratitude

Now, consider something you like most and truly feel grateful for that. It could be something little or a complicated thing you feel grateful for. You will find many things that you may feel grateful like a true friend, a relationship, your job, or even a small thing.

Discover a thing you truly feel grateful for and think about for some time. You can also make a gratitude list of the things you are most grateful for in your life. Shake off all negative thoughts, focus on one thing, and deeply embrace the feeling of gratitude. As you are deeply immersed in gratitude, you will feel a sensation in your body.

5. Dilate Gratitude

After the initial stage of practicing gratitude for a thing, dilate your gratitude towards other blessings in your life. It could be your life achievements, relationships, health, skills, talent, challenges, senses, etc. It all depends on your life and circumstances.

Think about everything that brings happiness to your life one by one. For everything, immerse in gratitude and take time until you feel a sensation in the reflection of gratitude.

6. Wrap-Up Your Gratitude Meditation

As you feel you have gained the positivity of gratitude, develop a sense of carrying these feelings with you all the time. End your gratitude practice by taking a deep breath and slowly opening your eyes. You will feel the positivity of gratitude revolutionizing your daily life. You will feel more charged, happy, and satisfied all day.

If you are still unable to see anything worthy enough to be thankful for, remember these 4 A’s of gratitude. These will help you in expressing gratitude:

• Appreciation: Appreciate those who light up your mood or bring positive energy into your life.
• Approval: Allow them to bring some goodness into your life, and listen to their viewpoints as well.
• Admiration: Completing the first two elements will automatically make you their fan. Make sure to tell them verbally that you are thankful for their efforts.
• Attention: Pay attention to what they are saying and acknowledge them.

Start Gratitude Meditation With Consistency

Consistency is the key to success. If you want to be positive and cope with your anxiety, negative thoughts, and despair, you should indulge in gratitude meditation in your life consistently. In the beginning, start with a little, then expand it.

For instance, say aloud some gratitude affirmations like “I have everything I wanted.” Likewise, when practicing, you can say some positive affirmations for anxiety. This helps to cope with anxiety and depression. Another effective way to cope with depression and anxiety is green noise.

Another interesting way to maintain consistency is to set up a gratitude jar (also called the happiness jar). It is a fun activity to visualize your blessings. You just have to write one good thing that happened in your day on a small note and put it into that jar. Doing this every day will fill up the jar with paper notes representing the positivity of your life that you might not have noticed before.

Keep a Gratitude Journal

You must incorporate gratitude activities into your daily life. The most advanced way is to follow your favorite gratitude apps or keep a gratitude journal. In a gratitude journal, add the things you are grateful for daily. Recall the moments and things and write them in your journal. You can also include gratitude journal prompts to gain more benefits from this simple technique. These prompts help you to practice gratitude regularly.

Moreover, thank those you feel bring happiness in your life. This is the best practice of incorporating gratitude in your life and giving you the best answer to “Is happiness a choice?”

Final Words

Gratitude meditation is also a grounding meditation technique for bringing positivity and removing all mental issues. With the above 6 simple steps to start gratitude meditation today, you can achieve your mental and physical well-being goal. With this focused meditation technique, you can embrace true happiness and empower yourself with positivity and gratitude.