By actively working on creating gratitude in your life you can improve your levels of happiness and decrease stress. This is how I use gratitude as an antidote to depression and as a brick to build a happier path.
I think this is one of the most simplest tools I use that has such a noticeable impact of my levels of happiness
“When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, ‘Oh yes – I already have everything that I really need.” Dalai Lama
Nurturing Gratitude
Studies have shown that by nurturing gratitude people can lower stress levels, feel calmer, become more self aware and focused on what they want in their lives.
1 - Morning Gratitude - I find this technique super effective because I can be grumpy in the morning. I decided I want to look forward to my day and get out of the bed feeling positive. So every morning when I wake up I spend 5 minutes thinking about 1 thing I am grateful for. I try to concentrate on that 1 thing to add depth to my gratitude. For example I may say 'I am grateful for the friends I have in my life'. I then take some time to think about specific friends, perhaps our last encounter, a good memory, how they improve my life etc. I often find as well as making me feel happier it also motivates me to do positive actions, such as call that friend or send them a card. Spreading the gratitude!
2 - Evening Positive (s) - I find this useful for going to bed feeling good about the day. I find this especially useful if I'm feeling down. It helps me deter my thoughts from the negatives of the day and appreciate the good things that happened instead. I think about my day and pick 1 to 5 things that I feel positive about - these may be about the day in general or about myself. It could be as simple as 'Today was a beautiful sunny day' or 'I really enjoyed that tv show' or 'I am lucky to live in this area'. To encourage kindness to myself I might think 'I smiled and chatted to a stranger today, that shows that I am kind and friendly' or 'I went to the gym today, that shows I am motivated'. If you are finding it really difficult to think of any positives then look at the basics 'I am lucky to have a roof over my head' or 'by doing this gratitude exercise I am making an effort on me and that in itself is a positive step!' There is always something we can find to be positive about.
3 - Keep a gratitude diary
Writing down feelings of gratitude can increase the positive effect they have on us.
“When you write down your ideas you automatically focus your full attention on them. Few if any of us can write one thought and think another at the same time. Thus a pencil and paper make excellent concentration tools.” Michael Leboeuf
It doesn't need to be anything fancy, a notebook will do. You can write something daily, or just twice a week. I keep a notebook by my bed, and write down the positive things of my day before I go to sleep. Sometimes I write down a short sentence, sometimes long paragraphs. It's not like a full blown diary (which I have never been able to keep) so doesn't take up too much time. I don't do it every night, just when I feel compelled.
Do it when you want and how you want, just do it! As well as giving you an instant feeling of gratitude it also gives you something to re read on down days to remind you of all the good in your life.
It is human nature to become used to our situations, when our lifestyles improve we are thankful and excited for a while and then it becomes the 'norm'. This means we can often forget how lucky we really are. Nurture your gratitude and you will find a new appreciation for yourself and your life.