In this third year of the pandemic, globally, locally, collectively and individually—we have been called to greater social responsibilities, to welcoming and managing more stress, grief, healing and everything in between. These are tough times and also, can be times where joy, wellness and overall balance doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. Though such times may require our intentions to be stronger, we all have that intuitive wisdom of knowing when we put gratitude into practice, we make sure we focus on how our cups are full, what helps and really staying present with the gifts in the our lives. Just to note, to fully benefit from mindfulness practices, I wholeheartedly believe in adapting these habits in ways that feel right for you, to being adaptable everyday to what works and staying flexible with what that looks like.
Here are a 3 gratitude practices that help with maintaining daily wellness and resetting and intentional and incremental ways, every day:
- Send gratitude & love each morning or evening
Write down or just mentally tune in for a couple minutes every morning for everyone you’re grateful for in your life. From your husband or wife, kids, neighbor, best friend or pup—taking the time to acknowledge gratitude is clinically proven to makes us happier, so why not take the time to set habits of happiness. You could journal, talk it over family dinner, tune in during your yoga practice or think about it while you brush your teeth. See what works and change it up.
- Do a 5 minute stretch each day, giving thanks and tuning in to your body
Though it can be hard to keep in practice everyday, there are so many benefits to daily stretching, yoga and incorporating some body positivity and mindfulness here. Think about what you’re thankful for health wise, tune into what hurts or where stress lies in your body. Try repeating a four-part box breath. Tuning in even briefly each day, can help us feel in tune and in touch with our bodies.
- Pick one act of kindness everyday (Random or Not)
It might sound hard to commit to one a day, but doing one random act of kindness every day can become a habit that helps you stay connected and tuned in to your community and those around you. Whether it’s choosing to do a something extra special for your partner or kiddo, or going to drop off some meals at a local shelter, when we do good, we feel good. Especially in times like these, finding our voice in our local communities and in staying connected can help keep us grounded, positive and resiliency.
Hope you’re having a beautiful start to 2022. Wishing you health, happiness, and a year full of gratitude.
Stay well, wonderful & weird,
Delia