The Healing Nature of Gratitude (free download)
Thinking about things we are grateful for is the best way to start the day
Being closer to Nature is the perfect way to wind down, clear the mind, connect with the natural healing frequencies of Mother Earth and enjoy the benefits of a daily boost of fresh air and sunlight. This is greatly enhanced when we take time to reflect on our appreciation for the natural world. It follows that taking time to reflect on things we are grateful for at the beginning and the end of each day is equally beneficial.
Not only is being thankful a nice way to be, it has also proven to be extremely good for us. This is because gratitude causes synchronised activation in multiple brain regions and lights up parts of our brain's reward pathways and the hypothalamus. This means that when we are truly grateful, this feeling inside boosts neurotransmitter serotonin and activates the brain stem to produce dopamine - commonly known as the 'feel-good' hormone.
A great start to the day
For this reason, thinking about things we appreciate, love and feel thankful for immediately makes us feel better. This is because the feeling comes straight from our heart centre which then sends messages to stimulate our brain (the hypothalamus) to produce dopamine.
The trick is to embrace the feeling of thankfulness entirely so that you can feel the warm and comforting feeling it generates. This is where feeling gratitude has a tangible and physical effect on our mind, body and soul which is both healing and energising. It means starting the day on the right foot with an increased boost of energy and a feeling of wellbeing.
A daily gratitude template
I have come up with an easy way to start the day in gratitude by creating a template for noting down various thoughts I know will make me feel better and focus my mind on my own wellbeing. Having these prompts makes it really easy to do either first thing in the morning or last thing at night so that you can start the day in the right mood and clear your mind before going to sleep.
It works very well with my Daily Planner where you can sketch out a daily plan that takes into consideration things that benefit your health and wellbeing. It makes sure that these things are not forgotten in the busy-ness of the day. The added bonus is that doing this every day helps to estabish healthy habits that will keep your mind, body and soul in high spirits and good condition.
Free for you!
The following breakdown sets out what's on my Daily Gratitude template and what the different sections are for. You can download this FREE template at the end of this post.
Alternatively, you might prefer a specially designed Green Hearts Gratitude Journal with 144 dotted pages which is available to buy in store.
Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.
Henry Ward Beecher
Daily Gratitude Sections
Today I am grateful for
There are so many things we can feel grateful for and it's very often the small things that mean the most to us. As you jot down the first things that come to mind, emerse yourself in the feeling of being thankful and notice how comforting and uplifting it feels.
Today's weather
Gauging the weather at the beginning of the day is a great way to 'check-in' with Nature and think about how plans might be affected. This is useful to use with the mood monitor (below) when it might be helpful to think of something nice to do on a 'low-mood-kind-of-day' or something fun or cosy that will provide some cheer on a bad-weather day.
Today's mood
This is a good way to keep an eye on mood levels when we can hone in on anything that might be causing us to feel down, afraid or out of sorts. A good 10 minutes of quiet meditation can help to provide calm and put things into perspective so that you can start feeling better having set aside some quite time to work things through and understand the problem.
Notes and inspiration
The more regular time we spend in quiet reflection, the more ideas and inspiration come to us. This is because the process of meaningful thinking, day dreaming and meditating (or visualising) opens the mind to new realisations that we might not have thought of before. Fleeting thoughts and ideas come from our intuition so it's a good idea to make a note of them.
Things I want to achieve today
The best possible way we can be kind to ourselves is to recognise our achievements - especially the small ones. When we do this we boost that same part of our brain that produces dopamine when we feel gratitude so celebrating everything and everything we consider to be an accomplishment is a good thing. By all means set your sights high but don't over do it - there are only so many hours in a day - and don't forget to set yourself some targets for the smaller wins as well.
Things I love and feel proud of
This is another great way bring happy thoughts and memories to mind and to boost confidence. The best things to feel proud of are the ones where we think no one has noticed. They say it's very healthy (and kind) to carry out at least one good deed a day without telling anyone. It leaves the ego out of things and allows you the privilege of feeling quietly pleased with yourself on a regular basis.
Things I am looking forward to
There is always something to look forward to whether it's the sun rising in the morning or a friend coming over for a cup of tea and a chat. If we don't feel we have anything to look forward to, this is the perfect opportunity to create something to look forward to by calling a friend, offering to help out with something or making a date with Nature - every day!
I hope you enjoy thinking about all the things you are grateful for and are looking forward to and that the template is helpful.
May I extend my gratitude to you for being here and reading this post and I look forward to seeing you again soon.
Sue Cartwright
Spiral Leaf
FREE PDF DOWNLOAD
Daily Gratitude Template
City skyline
A4 sized template in PDF best for printing format on a white background.
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