This post is sponsored by Depend® Brand. All opinions and statements are my own.
Gratitude can propel your life in the direction you want it to go.
According to Happify, there is real science showing the people who practice gratitude “experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems.”
I first heard about practicing gratitude from Oprah in the late 90s. She spoke about keeping a gratitude journal and she even shared some of the items she listed. Her practice was to list 5 things every day. Her examples were simple items like a call from a friend, a run in a cool breeze, or enjoying a specific food item. I thought to myself if Oprah can do this with her crazy schedule, I can, too. I bought a notebook and started a gratitude practice that may have lasted a few months.
Then, I forgot about gratitude for many years, until I became completely overwhelmed with caregiving and was desperate for some positive practices. I quickly noticed that focusing on the little things that brought me joy helped to make me happier.
Gratitude with Caregiving
Like many women, I can beat myself up mentally when my body doesn’t look the way I want it to. Then, I quickly realize how grateful I am that I ‘get’ to move. I look at my mom who is 100% bedridden and am so grateful that I can get outside and that I’m able to breath without oxygen.
I realize how lucky I am when I meet other family caregivers who have been caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s. I’m so grateful that my mom still has her memories and can recognize her family.
Sometimes my gratitude list includes products that make my life easier in some way. Can you imagine what our caregiving life would look like without walkers, bedside commodes, or disposable adult underwear?! Thanks to products like Depend® FIT-FLEX® Underwear, the messier sides of caregiving are a lot less messy. Comfort is incredibly important when incontinence brings about a lot of unpredictability, and it helps to have a product like Depend® FIT-FLEX® for all-day protection. I’m grateful my mom was able to enjoy her independence longer and participate in the moments that really matter without worrying about her bladder woes. If you are caring for a loved one with incontinence, joining a group like The Incontinence Community on Facebook can be really helpful. I’m appreciative of support groups like these where I don’t feel alone in my journey and can access them without leaving my house.
The Last 90 Days
Recently, I’ve stepped up my gratitude game and am working on a new habit to make this a daily written practice.
Have you heard of the Hollis Co. challenge called ‘Last 90 Days’? The premise is to not wait until New Year’s to get a jump on your healthy habits. Instead, use the last three months (essentially 90 days) to focus on some key habits. Keep in mind these are usually the three months where we make the worst decisions about our health.
So many holidays, football tailgates, and parties from Halloween through New Year’s Day. Rachel Hollis calls the habits she emphasizes in this challenge the ‘Five to Thrive’. One of these five habits is an active gratitude practice.
Verbal Gratitude Practices
Some families go around the dinner table each night and share what they are grateful for. We’ve done this at Thanksgiving after saying grace, but I can see how this would be powerful as a daily practice. My hunch is this practice prompts conversation topics about everyone’s day, as well.
Another verbal gratitude idea is to identify a trigger that prompts your gratitude practice. For example, waiting in your car at a red light, taking a shower, brushing your teeth, or saying evening prayers.
Written Gratitude Practices
Like many things in life, there isn’t one way to practice gratitude. While you can certainly practice gratitude in a moment, I believe the power multiplies when you write down what you are grateful for. Seeing everything you are appreciative of accumulate is a treasure to reflect upon.
Here are a few ideas on how to start a written gratitude practice:
- Purchase a monthly calendar from the dollar store where you have a little box for each day to write down what you are grateful for each day.
- Find a blank journal and keep it handy on your nightstand or a specific gratitude journal.
- Use a smartphone app specifically created for a gratitude practice.
- Keep a running list of your gratitude items in the Notes application on your phone or computer.
- Purchase a copy of Just for You: a Daily Self-Care Journal where you can answer the daily prompt and use the extra space on the page to list out what you are grateful for that day.
- Decorate an old shoebox or grab a glass mason jar and use some scrap sheets of paper to write out something you are grateful for.
What I’m Grateful For…So Far
Here are a few items captured in my Notepad phone app for the month of October as part of the Last 90 Days Challenge:
- Snuggly moments with my dog Shadow
- Morning coffee with cinnamon and vanilla
- Yoga pants with pockets
- Zeel beach side massage
- New business partners
- Mom alive for her birthday
- Bible app reading plan
- Coq au vin dinner with girlfriends at book club
- Fall breeze
- Arriving home from work to a home cooked meal
- Sharing high school memories at reunion
Warning: Gratitude is Contagious
The more you practice gratitude, the more joy you will see in your life. This compounds when you get your family and friends involved. Start sharing what you appreciate about them. Ask what’s good in their life and what they are grateful for.
Let’s celebrate and magnify what is good in each day.
