Gratitude Makes You Happier. Here's How To Make It Fun

And hence, more effective

Jul 6, 2021

Are they dancing or gratituding?

HAPPY WEDNESDAY

Why does gratitude make us feel so good? According to the *experts,* choosing to be thankful is an easy and accessible way to boost your happiness. When practiced daily, it has the power to change your way of thinking for good — aka you can say goodbye to your moody mood swings and hello to a happier state of being.

In short, gratitude changes you and your brain for the better. Who doesn’t want that?

So for today’s mental health pick-me-up…I give you a fun way to gratitude

I used to roll my eyes at yogis preaching to me about gratitude…because when you make a statement as bold as, “Journaling has changed my life,” it’s only natural to be skeptical — and annoyed.

But, as the old saying goes — Don’t knock it till you try it — I decided to give this gratitude business a shot.

And I hated it at first. Saying things like, “I’m thankful for my home, family, and health” just felt stupid because it didn’t feel genuine.

It wasn’t until I put some sass into it that I started enjoying my morning (and now evening!) gratitude practices.

How To Make Your Gratitude Practice More Fun?

Put some PIZAZZ! into it

Instead of morphing into a monotone robo-bitch thanking the air for letting me breath, I decided to personalize my giving thanks habits, and it’s helping me achieve that “full” feeling that spiritual healers are always speaking of.

Here’s an example:

“Thank you for my hot, financially smart husband who can make me laugh so hard I pee my pants. Thank you for my sweet angel of a son. Thank you for my feisty, mini-me unborn daughter who I can’t wait to meet.
Thank you for the ability to move my body at spin class so I can receive BOTH endorphins and a tight ass.
Thank you for my weird creativity that allows me to be different without caring what the haters will say.

Whether you talk to God or Source or the Universe (I speak to *Goddess*), putting some personality into it will make the practice more fun — and I must argue — more effective.

Pro tip: Talk to whomever your Faith Goddess is as if he/she were your best friend having martinis at Applebees.

Takeaway

Take the pressure off your gratitude or meditation practice by putting some personality behind what you’re saying. It doesn’t have to be this serious, looming thing. It can (and should be!) fun.

Talk to whomever your Faith Goddess is as if he/she were your best friend having martinis at Applebees.

Thanks for reading!

Sip Sip is a weekly newsletter dedicated to making moms feel SEEN in the realm of mental health. As the editor, I’m committed to easing your mom woes — one newsletter at a time — through advice, lessons, and humor on how to live your (one and only) life right.

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Be you.

Xo, Ash

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