Uplevel Your Attitude With Gratitude

Image @pintrest

Gratitude is more than just a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation. It is an ability. It is an actionable skill. A talent of sorts that takes repetition and consistency… yet this conflicts with our belief system that gratitude should be natural and spontaneous.

Fostering a practice of gratitude is difficult, for the feeling of gratitude is fleeting as, like any emotion, it is temporary. This is the because brain, through conditioning, is constantly in defence mode from perceived threats and negative experiences (fight/flight response). The brain is designed to initially seek out the negative as a form of protection. The supposed to “be and feel grateful” within each moment can therefore produce shame, in-authenticity and feelings of force and obligation rather than sincerity. Gratitude, paradoxically, can then become a burden, lowering your energetic vibration that much more, continuing the downward emotional spiral.

An intention shift to consciously practice gratitude within and through your day does have a significant neurological impact. Choosing to feel grateful can counteract felt sensation of jealousy, regret and resentment: by focusing on something that you have (abundance), one can interrupt the negative through spirals (lack). When in an emotional state of gratitude, the feel-good neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine. These chemicals then signal the parasympathetic nervous system to maintain ease and restoration physiologically, granting better sleep, stronger immune system, lower blood pressure, etc. Gratitude also enhances resilience, inviting the brain to reframe thought constructs from difficulty to “what’s the lesson?”, strengthening empowerment and appreciation.

Here are a few ways to uplevel your attitude with gratitude every day:

Keep a gratitude journal. Choosing to free write for a few moments a day on gratitude. Specifically what, why and sensations you feel when you call in this energy.

Re-wire any conscious negative thought. Each and every time you witness a fear-based thought, choose to reframe it. For instance: “Urgh, I don’t want to wash bathrooms today” ~ “Washing the bathrooms is the perfect time to listen to that podcast”. It’s not about making the statement positive… the purpose is to witness thoughts for you to begin to see that within the moment you hold an inner power to choose to continue that low frequency thought currency or uplevel.

Set your phone alarm to chime every few hours to practice gratitude mindfulness. Gratitude is a skill and we need to train ourselves for the skill to become secondary. When the  alarm chimes, stop and close your eyes. Begin to feel something within your immediate environment you are grateful for. Notice the sensations and presence that occurs.

Express your appreciation. Every day choose to tell a friend, sibling, parent or co-worker intentionally why you appreciate them whether it be shared verbally or written form. Not only will this flush feel good chemicals through you, but also through them.

Be in service. When you are in service to others and in a state of giving, you build self-awareness, appreciation and feel more abundant in your current experiences.

Take 3 deep breaths. Reminding yourself throughout the day to simply stop and breathe, exploring where gratitude lives within you. When you embody gratitude, ask yourself what does it feel like? When you detach from thinking and focus on feeling, space is created internally for you to claim present moment awareness.

Within each moment you hold the choice to experience gratitude. And when you feel you have fallen short, remember you are human with subconscious patterning. Be gentle with yourself.

Within this moment, what do you choose to experience? What will you choose to generate?

Remember, it’s a practice,

E