Feel More Grateful with this Guided Meditation for Beginners

Serenity Sherpa — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 20:50:33 +0000

Our Guided Mindfulness Meditation on Gratitude

This meditation is about 15 minutes long and will guide the listener through a few gratitude exercises followed by quite periods for reflection. Some of the things covered include: feeling grateful for yourself, your body, others, the world around us, and challenges we face. To listen to the meditation, simply press the play button on the video above.

The lovely background track is Moon on the Lake by Rebecca Reads Recordings, used under her Standard Music License.

Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie (author)

Why is Gratitude Important?

Gratitude expert Robert Emmons, Ph.D. gives four reasons why gratitude is good for us:

Gratitude allows us to celebrate the present and magnifies positive emotions.
Gratitude helps block toxic, negative emotions.
People who are grateful are more stress resistant.
People who are grateful have a higher sense of self-worth.

Source: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good

Practicing Gratitude Has Health Benefits

There is a wonderfully, detailed article on PositivePsychology.com that lists 14 health benefits of cultivating gratitude. They are as follows:

For the individual:
– increased happiness and positive mood
– more satisfaction with life
– less materialistic
– less likely to experience burnout
– better physical health
– better sleep
– less fatigue
– lower levels of cellular inflammation
– greater resiliency
– encourages the development of patience, humility, and wisdom
For groups:
– increases prosocial behaviors
– strengthens relationships
– may help employees’ effectiveness
– may increase job satisfaction
Source: https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-gratitude/

Ways to Foster More Gratitude in Your Life

According to Harvard Health, there are several ways to develop gratitude. They are all great ideas, however, we are partial to the last suggestion. (Of course we are!)

Write a thank-you note. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person’s impact on your life. Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Once in a while, write one to yourself.
Thank someone mentally. No time to write? It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.
Keep a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one thoughts about the gifts you’ve received each day.
Count your blessings. Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings — reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will identify each week. As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you.
Pray. People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude.
Meditate. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. Although people often focus on a word or phrase (such as “peace”), it is also possible to focus on what you’re grateful for (the warmth of the sun, a pleasant sound, etc.).
Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier

How do you cultivate more gratitude in your life? Please let us know in the comments below.

gratitude – Serenity Sherpa

Feel More Grateful with this Guided Meditation for Beginners

Our Guided Mindfulness Meditation on Gratitude

Why is Gratitude Important?

Practicing Gratitude Has Health Benefits

Ways to Foster More Gratitude in Your Life