Need a break? Treat yourself to this 5 minute happiness boost to brighten your day. Plugging in to a few minutes of daily gratitude has been proven to increase energy, decrease stress and worry, and raise overall life fulfillment and satisfaction.
Items needed
5 minutes + a quiet space to reflect + a notebook and pen + you
6 Steps
1. Get Present
Set up a quiet space for yourself before you begin. Put away your electronic devices, close the door, and take 5 deep breaths to invite in the present moment. This is your time to relax and connect to yourself, and taking the time to begin in this way sets the tone for a deeper exploration to arise.
2. Write Down 3 Things You’re Grateful for
Write down 3 things you’re grateful for that occurred in the past 24 hours. These could be people, experiences, inspirations, new aha’s, wisdom gained, ways you showed up for yourself, obstacles overcome, or anything that you feel grateful for big or small.
Alternatively, if finding 3 things in the past 24 hours is too challenging right now, simply begin by noticing 3 things you’re grateful for in life overall.
3. Soak it in
Now take a moment to soak in everything you’ve put on the page. Start by focusing on your first item of gratitude. Connect to the positive feeling of it, and take a slow deep inhale to “breathe it in.” Exhale gently and slowly. Repeat for the next two items until you are complete.
Why?
Absorbing the positive is more than just a temporary feel-good exercise. By doing this you’re actually growing new neural circuits in your brain, with long-term effects that create greater levels of happiness and wellbeing.
4. Notice How You Feel
You first started this exercise just a few minutes ago. How happy do you feel now compared to when you first started? 5% happier? 50% happier? More?
Whether you get a small boost of joy or a big one, simply noticing the difference it made is another way to bring awareness to the fact that YES, you can make an intentional difference in how you feel any time you choose. Even if it’s a little bit each day, the shifts add up over time in big way.
5. Continue for 30 Days and Keep it NEW
Continuing this practice on a regular basis over time is where you’ll really start to see the lasting benefits. Continue steps 1-4 each day for 30 days, making sure to write down NEW things you are grateful for each time.
You can write about brand new people and things each day, or, you can write down new things you notice about some of the main characters and experiences in your life. The subject doesn’t need to be new, but the gratitude awareness that you write on the page does.
6. Adjust as You Go
If you find that writing down 3 things each day is too much, or not enough, adjust! Studies have shown that joyfully keeping a weekly gratitude journal is more beneficial than begrudgingly writing in one daily.
Consider starting with the format provided in this Coaching Toolbox for 7 days to get your new gratitude habit underway. Then, after the week is up, check in with yourself and make any adjustments you’d like to the foundation you’ve already set in motion.
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It’s amazing the difference even 5 minutes of intentional reflection and gratitude can make. I see incredible results all the time, and if you’ve made it this far in the article, you’re already well on your way! Keep up the great work, and if you are inspired to let me know what changes this creates in your life, I’d love to hear from you.
Wishing you all the best as you continue to explore and grow!
With love and gratitude,
Lena
Want more? Take a deeper dive into the power of gratitude with “9 Science-Backed Benefits of Gratitude”
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Lena D. Meyer is a Transformational Life Coach, and the founder of Gratitude6. She is ranked as one of the top life coaches in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, and since 2008 has supported hundreds of people in living their most joyful, purposeful, and empowered lives. Including media and public speaking events, her tools and messages have reached thousands.
Her specialties include intuition, mindset shifts, life transitions and positive impact, and she believes now more than ever we have the opportunity to create positive change in our lives and world.
Copyright © 2017 Gratitude6, LLC, all rights reserved. Originally published 11/30/17. Read full disclaimer here.