Start & End Your Day By Counting Your Blessings

By Natalie Alexander

One effortless way to get started on a gratitude practice is to make a habit of counting your blessings both morning and night. You don’t even have to write them down, as in a gratitude journal, if that seems too overwhelming. Taking a few minutes when you wake up and before you go to bed is enough to begin cementing this new practice into your routine. Before long, you’ll notice that blessing abound. Here are some tips to help you start.

Start Small

The best approach is to take small steps and ease into any habit that you want to develop. By making it easier on yourself, you’ll be more inclined to continue moving forward. So, try not to put too much pressure on yourself to come up with grand examples of gratitude when you’re just starting. Just appreciating the bed where you’re starting and ending the day can be something to add to your initial list. Sometimes merely recognizing a small blessing can have a big impact.

Add It On

A helpful method for remembering your new gratitude habit is to add it on to your existing routine. Whatever you usually do in the morning and night, be sure to include a few minutes to think of what makes you feel fortunate. For example, if you enjoy having tea or coffee in the morning, this would be an excellent time to connect within. Sitting down to a cup of tea or coffee will soon become a reminder to contemplate on your three things.

Create Visual Reminders

If you find yourself forgetting to do it or skipping out on your new task, add some visual cues to your environment. Post-it notes are perfect for this. Stick one on your nightstand. Add another to your bathroom mirror. Technology comes in handy for reminders, as well. Set the alarm on your phone so that you don’t leave the house or fall asleep without taking time to consider what makes you feel thankful.

Turn It Around

You can also try the opposite. Turn complaints around into something positive. Maybe you wake up with a sore back and don’t want to get out of bed. It may seem obvious, but reminding yourself that you’re in overall good health and that you have a safe place to sleep can do wonders for your outlook. Try to find the silver lining. It does work.

Take Notes

A good habit can be jotting things down during the day as they happen. It only takes a few seconds to make a note of what you feel grateful for in that moment. You can reflect on it later during your quiet bedtime routine.

Hopefully, you now see how getting into the habit of recognizing the positive thing in life isn’t all that difficult. A few small changes to your routine, and you’ll find it’s actually quite easy to implement this practice.