Practices in Gratitude

A few weeks back, I wrote about my decision to change my inner negativity and to finally see myself with the same love in which God sees me. I realized changing my inner voice was a powerful first step, but that if I really wanted to get on top of my stress and negativity, I needed to do more.

The first step was going to the doctor to finally figure out why I was so tired all the time. Turns out I am anemic. The good news is with the help of some little iron pills, I will no longer be on what I called “Team Sleep.” Less fatigue means more energy for schoolwork, but that doesn’t take away the stress or the poor way I was dealing with it. So I decided to enroll in the Koru course offered at the McDonald Center for Student Well Being.

The course covers mindfulness and meditation directed for stressed college students. We meet once a week to learn new types of meditation, stress management, and how to develop better habits in these areas. We are given “homework” to practice meditation daily. It’s amazing to see how my mindset changed when I let my brain take a breather. In addition, our homework challenged us to also cultivate habits of gratitude.

Every day we were asked to write down three things we were grateful for. At first it was tricky- “Okay, I’m thankful for coffee… and uh my friends… and maybe SkinnyPop?” But within days of writing down my gratitude and becoming aware of it, my eyes began to open to how everything is a gift. I was gracious for the feeling of a grand jeté during ballet rehearsal, for the excitement of Sunday night skype calls with my sister, and for taco Mondays with my friends. Being intentionally grateful changes how you see your day. Instead of focusing on the negative, you focus on the positive blessings you see each day. In each unfolding of your life, you are challenged to relish in what makes it beautiful.

This concept is even more powerful to us as Catholics. Our lives are shaped by God. Our blessings are given to us by God. In this way, all our gratitude is for God. In taking time to cultivate gratitude, we are taking time to praise God in thanksgiving. In taking time to notice the gifts all around us, we are taking time to notice the way God is all around us. Gratitude gives us the daily opportunity to rediscover the awe we have for God. A God who knows how to brighten our evening with a beautiful sunset, stimulate our afternoon with a rich over lunch, or calm a late-night study session with the peace of a warm cup of tea. In the end, each piece of gratitude is gratitude for God.

So how do we cultivate these attitudes of gratitude? How do we live lives of thanksgiving? It is all about creating habits that challenge you to remain grateful daily. Ready? Here are some ideas:

·      Write, write, write. Get a pretty notebook. Get a really nice pen. Write a huge list, add to it daily. Don’t stress about what you write down. Some days you might have tons of things, some days you might have just a few. Wherever you are is where you are meant to be.

·      Make a playlist that reminds you what it means to be grateful. Don’t have time? Listen my own gratitude playlist (link)! Put it on as you walk to class or dinner, or as you drink some Earl Grey and close your eyes- use this time to think about what you are grateful for today.

·      Make a gratitude collage. A few weeks ago I wrote about my own, which is definitely an awesome option if you have a free wall. You can also make a quick collage at Polyvore (link). It doesn’t take long to make, but it can help center you on what you are grateful for right now.

·      Give back to those you are grateful for. Random acts of kindness are perfect ways to give to strangers and I highly encourage it. But also don’t forget to honor those who make your life better with simple acts of gratitude. This (link) article has great examples.

·      Read poetry on gratitude. As an English major, I love finding inspiration in literature. Reading poetry about gratitude helps slow mybody down and requires me to focus on what I am reading and what it means. Try Ode to Thanks (link) by Pablo Neruda, Slant (link) by Suji Kwock Kim, or An honest Tear (link) by Emily Dickenson. Need more? Check out this list (link).

·      Get the app. Do you have trouble remembering to do things without your phone to remind you? I totally get it. Luckily, there are apps to help you cultivate gratitude. This (like) awesome app even lets you upload pictures of things that made you gracious each day and records it in a calendar.

·      Take part in gratitude meditation. Spend time praying and reflecting on the things you are grateful for. You can do this in adoration, or you can do this in the silence of your dorm room. You can even use a guided meditation, such as this one (link), to find God’s light within your thanksgiving.

The most important part of developing the habit is acceptance. If you miss a day or only have a small entry- that’s okay. Don’t let gratitude become part of the stress or negativity in your life. Let it be the release.

It will be easy to think about gratitude this week, when it’s Thanksgiving and all around us people are asking, “What are you thankful for?” But the true benefits of gratitude come when it goes beyond a single day and becomes part of your lifestyle. Starting here and now, decide to live a life of gratitude.