Reflective Gratitude

Gratitude is a practice I personally utilise every day as an opportunity to reflect and give thanks to the Universe/God (or higher power that resonates with you is). Gratitude is a state of being thankful in the present moment of events that have occurred.

My last thoughts of the day are a mental review of my day or past week. I am thankful for events that have happened during the day. This includes being thankful or appreciative for my surroundings, material objects in my life (like my home), food on the table, my environment, my surroundings, friends, family and anything else that is relevant and significant for me at that moment in time.

When I wake up in the morning, I lie in bed and before I get up and move for the day ahead, I stop and breathe deeply. I think about all I am grateful for. The bed I am in, the house I live in and the beautiful night’s sleep I have had. I am grateful for having this moment to breathe and be in a state of relaxation and peace.

Another tool I utilise is a Gratitude Journal. I have set up a specific Gratitude Journal, and inside I have set up a page per month. On this page I write daily a list of what I am grateful for. I have found this to be a wonderful resource to look back over the month/s that have passed and reflect and remember what highlights I had. This process in itself is an affirmation; I will look back and then remember what happened that month that was meaningful, and be grateful again. A Gratitude Journal is a gift for myself that keeps giving!

Why practice Gratitude? My personal believe is that having a daily ritual or practice of saying thank you to the universe for providing our needs and desires sets up an energy frequency to allow more of these wonderful things to continue manifest in our lives on a daily basis. It is telling the Universe that you want more of the things what you are grateful for. This process opens up the doors of abundance allowing more opportunities to come in.

If I have had what is perceived as a bad day, or something hasn’t gone quite to plan, I will practice gratitude for an aspect of that situation that was positive (I may have a grumble or two – but will reflect and think deeply about the situation that was presented). I will endeavour to find the learning in the situation and reflect on how I could complete things differently if that situation was to occur again. I then say thank you to the Universe for providing this challenging situation for my learning and growth. I acknowledge the situation, find the learning, and then I let it go.

Practicing the art of reflection and gratitude for the events that happen that aren’t so pleasant is a way of acknowledging the situation. I encourage you to take the time to stop and reflect to learn from the situation presented, so that it may not have to be repeated again. Endeavour to find the learning within that situation. When you say thank you to the Universe for the learning presented you are acknowledging the situation. Then let it go, so you can move on to more positive events in your life. If you have a situation that you have difficulty processing or moving on from, this is when you need to seek outside assistance such as counselling.

In my experience, having regular reflective practice and a regular gratitude practice gives me a sense of fulfillment & great peace. I call this process Reflective Gratitude. The process of Reflective Gratitude provides further thought or accountability of what we can do differently, and also reaffirms that the Universe always provides for us, and that we are looked after. All that we require and desire is provided from the Universe for our own highest good and highest good of all concerned. I urge you to start the practice of Gratitude and Reflective Gratitude; notice how different these practices make you feel, and the changes you experience in your daily life.

Danielle Renee

Holistic Therapist – Writer

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