Is your current mindset helping you or hurting you? How do you most want to feel in this moment?
When you become aware of your current frame of mind, and you get clear on how you would like to feel, you are taking important steps that will help you reset your mindset.
But how you want to feel might be miles away from how you are actually feeling right now.
When we are in a mindset funk, it can feel like an impossible undertaking to move through what feels heavy on our hearts and minds. Simply knowing how we want to feel – in these cases – is not enough to bridge the gap to get back to a place of thriving.
On the days we need a mindset reset the most, it will require something a little extra to help us feel like our best selves again – or at the very least – a brighter version.
It turns out, there is a relatively simple way to reset your mindset to thrive. It’s all about using the power of gratitude to feel your way back into alignment.
This past year has been a bumpy ride for everyone on a human journey. I’ve turned to these gratitude practices, more than a few times, to pull myself out of the dreaded mindset slump.
Next time you find yourself ready for a mindset reset, give these 3 gratitude practices a try and see what shifts.
Gratitude Practice #1: Name It Aloud
What are you grateful for right now? It doesn’t have to be something notable. When it comes to gratitude, sticking to the basics is the easiest way to say what you mean and mean what you say. There is no sense pretending. That won’t help you shift out of a mindset rut.
When you have an idea of what you are grateful for, say it aloud to yourself, or to whomever is within earshot. If you have more than one reason to be grateful, list them all. Better yet, turn them into a song. It doesn’t have to sound good to anyone but you. There is power in bringing your thoughts and words to life. Use your voice to get on the path of noticing more of what is going well in your life.
Gratitude Practice #2: Write It Down
Write down all the reasons you are grateful. Small reasons, big reasons and all the in between reasons. Putting pen to paper is an effective way to give meaning to your words.
“Writing by hand is good for the brain and for well-being,” according to Oxford Learning. “Writing about feelings can improve mood and give a sense of well-being—putting pen to page helps flesh thoughts out in an orderly manner, leading to burdens feeling lighter.”
When you write down a gratitude list, you’ll also have it as a reference for later. You can use your list as a reminder of what is most important to you. Having these extra reminders can help you maintain a more hopeful perspective.
Gratitude Practice #3: Feel It to Believe It
When you allow yourself to feel gratitude, you give that feeling a home. There is no reason you have to wait for outer circumstances to change in order to feel better. You can practice feeling better right now, by soaking in a deep appreciation for everything that you do enjoy about life.
If it feels right, start your mindset reset with this practice. Close your eyes and bring to mind something you are thankful for. Choose something that you believe with all of your heart. If it feels right, place your hand over your heart. With your eyes closed, take some deep intentional breaths in. As you exhale, slowly release the stagnant energy and tension from your body. Put your attention on inhaling a deep sense of love and appreciation, and releasing all that doesn’t feel good.
Our point of attraction is this present moment. As such, we give ourselves a huge gift when we allow what we love to have a starring role in how we feel right now.
At the end of the day, know that all things will come to pass. Be gentle with yourself no matter where you are on your journey. There is no quota on experiencing bright moments that feel good. While you are alive, you’ll always deserve to thrive.
What does happiness feel like to you?
Article originally published on emilymadill.com