10 Easy Ways To Practice Gratitude In Daily Life

Gratitude. We don’t have enough of it.

In the grand scheme, there are a lot of things that we take as given because they are part of our daily routines or we have never had to live without them. Especially when life isn’t going exactly as we planned, it can be hard to find anything to be grateful for. The misery just seems to pile up.

It’s important when this happens to take a step back from all that isn’t going right to try to find ways to be grateful for those things that are, those things that seem so mundane and are such an ingrained part of our lives that we don’t even consider an alternative without them.

Here Are 10 Easy Ways To Express Gratitude:

1. Thank yourself for waking up to another day

Sometimes, just getting out of bed is a win. This is especially true when we are feeling overwhelmed with whatever we have going on. It’s important to be grateful just for the fact that you were able to wake up and get out of bed this morning – some people didn’t – and keep living another day.

2. Be thankful for the first sip of coffee… or tea or water or milk

Whatever that first drink you have is when getting up, take a moment to be grateful as you savor the taste of your beverage of choice. This is a great way to express gratitude right at the start of your day. Be grateful that you have something to drink. Be grateful that you have the means to drink it.

3. Be thankful for the home you have

My furnace decided to get wonky on me a few weeks back and we were without heat on and off for a few days. Of course, it was on some of the coldest days we had this year. Instead of going into a tailspin of rage, I kept reminding myself to be thankful for the four walls around me.

According to statistics from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, there were over 550 thousand people considered homeless at the time of their survey in 2019.

So, while a broken furnace wasn’t an ideal situation by any means, I was thankful that I had a bed, plenty of blankets, and four walls to block the wind. Express gratitude for the shelter you have as some people are out in the cold – literally.

4. Be thankful for the food you have to eat

Every time you have a meal, consider your access to food a luxury. There are over 37 million people in the United States who are food insecure which means that they do not have consistent access to nutritionally adequate foods or have to make a choice between nutritionally adequate foods and paying for things like housing or medical care.

Food deserts, a geographic area where residents have restricted or nonexistent access to healthy and affordable food options, contribute to this. If you have a grocery store within walking distance, a car to make your grocery runs, or the means to have your food delivered directly to your door on a regular basis consider yourself lucky. Express gratitude for being able to get the food you need whenever you want. 

5. Be thankful for the clothes on your back

If you aren’t walking around naked, be grateful for that. Being looked at as less than because you can’t keep up with the latest trend is a societal stigma we should all be working to abolish especially since there isn’t one best style for everyone.

There are people out there wearing whatever they can get their hands on and not necessarily what they prefer – a hand-me-down from a family member or friend, a free coat from a coat drive, too-tight shoes because they were close enough to the right fit for the price.

The next time you look at your wardrobe and think you have nothing to wear, imagine having to decide between what you want to wear and having to dress in whatever option is available to you. Be grateful that you had a choice in the clothes available to you.

6. Thank yourself for doing the best that you can

We all only have so much to give and some days the bare minimum is all we can manage. If you’re not feeling well, but manage to take a bath or shower, be grateful for that. If all you can do is get out of bed to sit on the couch, be grateful for that.

When you make a mistake, express gratitude for the opportunity to learn. Nobody is perfect and we’re all going to have bad days or days where we just aren’t quite feeling like ourselves so when those days happen thank yourself at the end of them just for making it through.

7. Be thankful for technology

Yes, really, express gratitude for technology. Despite the fact that society as a whole seems to be overly consumed in digital media and constantly staring at devices, be grateful for the access it gives you. Especially this past year with everybody needing to stay away from each other, technology was the thing that helped keep people together.

On my recent binge of Bridgerton, set in the early 1800s, when a daughter gets married, the mother tells her to write when she arrives in her husband’s home. That stuck with me because being able to pick up the phone and call somebody whenever we want is something most of us consider a basic necessity. It made me think about my own family.

My niece lives out of state just like my uncle did when I was growing up. We saw my uncle on occasion and chatted on the phone during major holidays. In comparison, I video chat with my niece at least once a week. While the relationship with my uncle was hindered by distance, I get to watch my own niece grow up on a regular basis. Be grateful for the access technology gives you to your loved ones.

8. Be thankful for those things you are not limited by

Everybody has different gifts and is blessed with different quirks. If you’ve ever looked at someone else and could only see the advantages they had compared to your own, you are not alone.

It’s part of our nature as humans. Next time this happens, instead of being disappointed that you can’t do something as well as someone else, appreciate however well you can do it. Be grateful for the chance just to be doing whatever it is no matter how bad you think you might be at it.

9. Be thankful for your ability to read

This is one of those things that seems so basic it is unrecognizable unless you lack the ability to do it. The World Literacy Foundation reports that 1 in 5 people cannot read. So, if you’ve made it this far in this article, take a moment to express gratitude that you can understand the words in front of you.

10. Be thankful for the ability to be thankful

Just the fact that you can express gratitude is something to be thankful for. There has been a vast amount of research done regarding the correlation between gratitude and overall well-being.

An overwhelming majority of it supports the fact that expressing gratitude has a positive impact on your life. There may be some really low points in your life but always look for the silver lining. Be grateful for the silver lining and have the feel-good vibes flood your system.

The next time you find yourself feeling down about how life is going, try to remember it could always be worse. Even though good enough isn't great, sometimes good enough is the best it can be at the time.

Be grateful for what you do have, think about people who may lack the same advantages, and always look for the silver lining. 

I thank you for reading this. Now, express gratitude toward yourself for reading it too.