Every day, find three things you are grateful for. This exercise may sound simple, but it is very effective.
- I have a spouse/friend/child/parent whom I love.
- It’s a beautiful day outside.
- I live in a peaceful and safe country.
To exercise your “gratitude muscle”, you need to think of different things. The point of the exercise is to develop the ability to experience gratitude, even when things are not going well.
Use positive phrasing when thinking about what happened to you. In other words, don’t think of things you are grateful for because they didn’t happen. For example, instead of saying, “I’m thankful I didn’t have a car accident today,” you can say, “I feel safe in my car.” Using the negative reinforces negative thoughts.
