10 Ways to Become More Grateful

Christian | Standing Stones Healing Co.

Here are 10 ways to become more grateful, courtesy of Robert Emmons.

​Do you do any of these?

1. Keep a Gratitude Journal.
Emmons says this works best if you do it every day.

2. Remember the Bad.
Remembering the hard times can help you feel grateful for where you are now.

3. Ask Yourself Three Questions.
Emmons encourages asking:
“What have I received from __?”
“What have I given to __?”
“What troubles and difficulty have I caused?”
It's a reflection technique known as Naikan, or Japanese for "looking inside."

4. Prayers of Gratitude.
Most spiritual traditions have gratitude as a component. No matter what your religious or spiritual beliefs, gratitude is universal, and it can be an enriching practice to learn some new ways of expressing gratitude in traditions other than your own.

5. Use Your Senses.
It's incredible what our bodies can sense, whether through our typical 5 senses or even our our extra spidey senses. Focusing on our senses is a great way to give gratitude to our bodies and to the world around us.

6. Use Reminders.
Forgetfulness can be a challenge to being grateful. Yes, we can forget to be grateful! Whether using post-it notes or notifications on your phone or wearing a particular piece of jewelry, there are so many ways to create reminders for ourselves to be grateful.

7. Take an Oath of Gratitude.
Research has shown that making an oath to do something increases the likelihood that you will actually do it. Making a vow to be grateful will actually help you to practice gratitude...just remember that you made the vow. See #6.

8. Watch your Words.
This one really interested me. Emmons says that grateful people have a way of speaking and writing that uses words like gifts, givers, blessings, blessed, fortune, fortunate, and abundance. Yes, indeed, sending blessings to your words!

9. Take Grateful Actions.
Grateful actions, like smiling, saying thank you, and writing letters of gratitude, often trigger feelings of gratitude. Not feeling grateful, do something that expresses gratitude and your mood will change.

10. Try New Things.
Emmons means to get creative in finding new ways to express gratitude, but I think that trying new things can also help us to feel grateful.

Do you do any of these 10 things? Which ones?

Which ones are you going to try?

You may also be interested in tuning in on this gratitude meditation and this talk on gratitude: