Be grateful with meditation

Be grateful!

With the stresses and strains of everyday 21^st Century life, and the awful, negative information being drip-fed to us through the media, it’s easy to feel low, stressed or hopeless. One of the best ways to flip out of negative thinking and feel better about life is to practice gratitude.

Gratitude is a simple way to feel more positive; it stops you from focusing on the things that you don’t have and reminds you of all the things that you do. Start to think about the things in your life that you are grateful for; your home, friends, family, children, pets, your healthy body, clothes, books, music, hobbies, talents, your ability to laugh and have fun.

The benefits of gratitude
Practicing gratitude has been proven to improve health and wellbeing, relationships, career and sleep. People that embrace this technique have been found to naturally have built more self esteem, empathy, and mental strength.

Notice what you have
Try this simple meditation technique: Close your eyes and think of all the things you are grateful for right now. If you have perfect use of your arms and legs and the ability to walk, run, read, write, hear, see and talk, then you are lucky. If you are healthy in mind and body, take a moment to give thanks for that. Never take your health, happiness and well-being for granted. Send out a genuine feeling of gratitude for all of these blessings. Take a few minutes to open your heart and project a strong feeling of gratitude out into the Universe.

De-stress meditation technique – your first day on earth
Imagine this is your first day on earth. You have just arrived here and you are looking at all the things you have in your life. You thought you had nothing but, when you look around, you can see many things. You can see you live somewhere that keeps you sheltered and warm. You may have the use of a car to get you from place to place. You have enough money to buy food and clothes. From expecting to arrive with nothing, you can see that you actually have quite a lot.

If you often use the ‘my first day’ scenario, it will help you see that you have many things in your life worth valuing, which will help you to feel more fortunate. Close your eyes and focus now on all the good things in your life. Continue in your daily life to be thankful and feel blessed for these positives in your life.

Record gratitude
Try keeping a gratitude journal, and writing down one thing every day that you are grateful for. If you are artistic, you could take a photograph or draw a picture instead. Use these images as the background for your computer or phone; stick them on the fridge, or on a notice board. Make sure that images are placed somewhere that you will see them every day, and add to them regularly.

Spread the happiness
Try to notice all the things, however small, that people do for you. If someone opens a door for you, picks up something that you have dropped or offers you their seat, respond with a warm smile.

Remember those closer to home too! Out of habit, we often overlook the closest people to us and take them for granted when they help us out. If someone at home has helped you in some way, leave a note of thanks for them to find later. It will cost nothing but make them feel appreciated.

Best wishes,

Glenn

P.S. My meditation and hypnotherapy recordings and books can help you learn more about gratitude, happiness and meditation. Click below to find out more:

Mindfulness for Gratitude

Be Happy

The Answer

Overcome Anxiety MP3