11 Gratitude Practices to Include in Your Daily Life

Gratitude is the ultimate state of receiving. When you’re grateful and receptive, your state of being rejoices! When you practice gratitude daily, you’re in a state of wholeheartedness.  Your heart opens, and you receive opportunities and the good things of life with love and joy.

Being in a state of gratefulness allows you to embrace positive experiences. Gratitude is an elevated emotion that puts you into a powerful state of being. The more you live in this state of being, the easier it becomes to receive blessings.

11 Gratitude Practices to Include in Your Daily Life

1. Work With a Gratitude Buddy

My husband and I love to end the day sharing 5 things we’re grateful for. Having a Gratitude Buddy holds you accountable to practising gratefulness, and you can do this with a partner, a trustworthy friend, a sibling or parent, or even with your kids.

If your Gratitude Buddy doesn't live with you, commit to sharing what you’re grateful for by sending your list every morning, lunchtime, or evening from your mobile or email. Otherwise, choose a time every day when you sit down with your Gratitude Buddy and spend 5 minutes talking about the things you’re grateful for.

Doing this daily helps to elevate your feelings and instil a lifelong habit that serves you and others.

2. Start or End Your Day with a Gratitude Meditation

One of the most powerful ways to get a daily dose of gratefulness is to listen to a gratitude meditation. Hundreds of gratitude meditations are available online, and picking your favourite one empowers you to stick to a powerful and transformative practice every day.

The transformational power of gratitude is immense and puts you into a state of being that allows you to heal. Being in a receptive state opens you to elevated emotions that are vital for mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.

When you listen to gratitude meditations daily, your stress levels are reduced, you feel happier, and you have more resilience to face the day.

3. Keep a Gratitude Journal

Daily gratitude journaling has numerous benefits, including:

• Improved mental health

• Increased emotional regulation

• Better moods

• A good night’s rest

Writing in a gratitude journal daily shifts negative perspectives, putting you into a positive frame of mind. Your self-esteem improves, as will your self-awareness. The more you express gratitude in your journal, the easier it becomes to appreciate even the simplest things in life.

Download this gorgeous Gratitude Journal from our Free Spirit Store. It includes 365 pages to capture your gratitude thoughts every day of the year.

4. Take a Gratitude Walk

I love walking and use this exercise to get outdoors and embrace my surroundings. I’m blessed to live on a farm, and my daily walks have become walking meditations. I always start my walks with 5 minutes of being grateful. Here are some of the things I’m grateful for:

• My strong body that allows me to walk freely

• The sunlight on my skin

• The magnificent trees radiating healing energies

• The beautiful views of the valley

• The cows that are peacefully grazing in the paddocks

• Mother Earth’s solid support under every step I take

Choose to practice gratitude whenever and wherever you walk. Notice how your body moves with every step you take. Feel the sensations throughout your body as you stride. Be aware of your surroundings and look for the good things that make you smile, your heart warm, and your soul sing. Choose to express gratitude with every step you take.

When you take a gratitude mindfulness walk, you become aware of your body and the freedom to move around as you wish. That’s a lot to be grateful for.

5. Be Grateful When Doing Ordinary Tasks

Over the years, I’ve become appreciative of doing ordinary tasks such as making our bed first thing in the morning or washing the dishes after a meal. These daily household chores allow you to enter a meditative state and reflect on the many things you’re grateful for in the ordinariness of life.

When I make the bed, I give thanks for a good night’s rest, a comfortable bed, a roof over my head, and that I can sleep safely. Every time I wash the dishes, I express gratitude for the meal I’ve eaten and for easy access to water for cleaning up. When weeding in the garden, I’m grateful for the sunlight, the air I breathe, and the plants growing around me.

Performing ordinary chores highlights many opportunities to practice gratitude and realise how blessed you are every day.

6. Keep a Gratitude Jar

My daughter first introduced me to the Gratitude Jar when she was in high school. Writing down your gratitude on slips of paper and inserting them into your jar is a powerful habit that has many benefits, including:

• Increased mindfulness

• Enhanced empathy for others

• Healthier relationships

• Less envy, more gratefulness

• Increased happiness

A Gratitude Jar is a tangible practice reminding you to focus on the good things in life. It’s a fun way to introduce such a valuable habit to people of all ages, including young children. Whenever you’re having a challenging or overwhelming day, taking a slip out of the jar and reading it will remind you of the things that keep you going daily.

Regularly reflecting on gratefulness and recording it daily strengthens your appreciation for life and all that it includes.

7. Do Acts of Kindness

Doing Acts of Kindness, no matter how small, is a powerful gratitude practice. It involves appreciating the positive in your life and expressing it through actions that support the well-being of others. When you share your joy and love with others, you’re demonstrating your thankfulness in ways that allow others to feel better about life.

Acts of kindness can be done in the following ways:

• Expressing your gratitude to someone you hold close and dear

• Showing your appreciation for someone’s support and love

• Giving someone a heartfelt hug as a way to say thank you

• Volunteering at a charity

• Offering to support someone who is facing difficulties

Acts of kindness create a ripple effect, allowing others to open their hearts and receive with gratitude.  

8. Say Thank You to Someone Every Day

Expressing gratitude to someone who has done something for you is an important practice that should be cultivated daily. Saying thank you to at least one person (or pet!) every day enhances your gratitude practice while restoring mind, body, and soul.

You can say thank you to a shop assistant or bank teller who has gone out of their way to solve your issue. Say thank you to the person who opens the door for you or takes your meal order with care and a big smile. I thank my four-legged friend every day for making me laugh and filling me with love and joy.

Saying thank you to someone daily highlights what’s going right for you in your life, enhancing appreciation for those people making a difference.

9. Set a Gratitude Alarm

One of my clients shared this gratitude practice with me. She sets her mobile alarm to go off every hour, and for 5 minutes, she stops whatever she’s doing and reflects on the things she’s grateful for. It could be something as simple as the sun shining or the cup of coffee she has just made.

Since starting this practice, my client says her life has transformed completely. She’s more positive about life, friends and family keep telling her that “she has changed somehow and what is she doing?”, and she’s more energised and focused on what’s important to her.

That’s the power of practising gratitude. It gives you a whole new outlook on life!

10. Visualise Gratitude

I do this often! If I’m bogged down with work commitments and have to miss out on my daily walk around the farm, I visualise the experience for a few minutes. This triggers feelings of gratitude, love, joy, and freedom.

You can visualise gratitude by thinking about the people whom you’re grateful to. Think about the things you’re grateful for and feel the sensation of gratitude surging through your body. Create a vision board of all the things you’re grateful for and place it somewhere where you see it daily.

Visualising gratitude can be done anywhere, at any time. Take note of the emotions you feel and allow them to elevate your appreciation and awe of life.

11. Send Daily Gratitude Messages

Sending a daily gratitude message is a simple practice that enhances your well-being and supports others who read it. You can send these messages to individuals or upload a gratitude post on social media.

Spreading the word of gratitude reminds you and others that life holds many wonderful and positive aspects. Gratitude messages help you focus on what is working for you while empowering others to feel the same.

Gratitude messages can improve workplace productivity, strengthen relationships with your community and loved ones, and promote optimism.

Final Thoughts

Denis Waitley shared these wise words, “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” My life experiences have shown me this, and when I open my heart to love, joy, and gratitude, I feel happy.

Our present moment is all we have, and embracing it is the only way to live a full life. Look around you right now and list all the things you’re grateful for. You’ll be amazed!