Begin & end your day with gratitude. Leave a journal by your bedside table & set your phone alarm to 5 minutes. Then, start writing. Your cozy pajamas, hot chocolate, your cat, that silly nose whistle commercial you just saw… write down all of the things, big and small that made you happy, laugh, smile… anything & everything that you appreciate & feel grateful for. Don’t judge or “try” too hard, just let the words flow on to your paper. Do this for 5 minutes in the morning & 5 minutes before you close your eyes.
Tell someone you appreciate them… and be specific. Send a text, a letter or card, an email or make a phone call. Spread the love! This is especially wonderful to do for folks most of us take for granted ie: the mailman, garbage man, post office clerk, toll attendant, military men & women…
Pay it forward. When we give it we get it. Giving FEELS good & therefore makes us feel even more grateful about our lives. Hold the door for someone, let someone who’s in a hurry cut ahead of you in line ( on the highway OR grocery store!), pay for a strangers coffee in line behind you, send a genuine smile at someone on the street & mean it.
When you’re in a “mood”, really let yourself feel it. Notice where you feel the emotion and just “be” with it. Don’t fight it or stuff it. Give it space & sit with it. Take 5-10 deep slow inhales & exhales. Continuing to be with your “feeling.” Then invite yourself to think about just one good thing in your life- just one. Catching yourself in these moments- not to squish that fact that you’re upset, but holding space for whatever it is you’re feeling… and then when some time has passed gently shifting your thoughts to gratitude.
Aromatherapy. First, figure out what your top 3 “hits” for gratitude are. What are the 3 things that you can always be grateful for no matter what is going on in you life. For example: You have lungs that can breathe, legs that can walk & eyes that can. Now, choose your absolute favorite scent- or combination of scents (essential oils). Place some rock salt & a few drops of your essential oils into a small vial (an old chapstick tube will do). Hold the vial in your hand and think of those top 3 things. Imagine them in your mind, hold them clearly in view- now pop off the cover of your vial and take a deep breath of your special blend. Think of 3 things again, take another deep breath of your scent. Repeat as much as you’d like. Keep your vial throughout the day, and anytime your feel you need a boost, grab your vial, shift you thoughts and use this process. By incorporating essential oils, thoughts & breath we are slowly rewiring our brains & bodies toward a healthier more grateful version of ourselves, mind, body & spirit. (This also works with aromatic essences sprays! Want to make one?)
