How can I practice Positivity & Gratitude?

@dynamicHemlock1736

Its a really interesting question! I find having a gratitude journals really helpful for that and even keeping a pen with me and moving it from one pocket to other everytime I start thinking negative!

Hi there! Having a gratitude journal helps, and it doesn't even have to be a written journal! You can commit to doing one gratitude post a day on Instagram or Snapchat or whatever social media you're using. Take a photo of something you are thankful for today then attach a phrase, word or hashtag to it. Like, take a photo of a flower and use "Grateful for #nature" as caption. Hope that helps! ❤️

First forget about money or anything that can be baught with money. Rediscover the beauty in nature and in human contact. Say "thank you" alot and be polite and kind. Gratitude is in giving: so create a bracelet chain out of dandellions's stems and give it to your loved one. Don't forget to lough or to cry, let your soul free to feel again. When you wake up in the morning think like this: "this is the first day of the rest of my life!" Good luck on your saga and your jpurney, hugs🤗🤗🤗🤗

@dynamicHemlock1736

This is such a good question! Thanks for asking us and starting this discussion.

One can always practise gratitude, being positive and not taking things for granted. However, I believe it's different for different people.

I'd like to share my perspective - there's no shortcut for any of that. You will have good days, you will have bad days, you will have the best days and you will also have the worst days. Staying positive isn't the goal, ever. It's just being open to whatever happens next in your life. You may be in a very tough position right now, by always forcing yourself to look at the bright side you might lose a chance to understand what is really so hard in the first place. Just like being positive is a good thing, having it balance the negatives is also important. What I like to do is - brainstorm different perspectives of a situation that I am finding hard to deal with, address it, cry over it and then move on.

"Life is too important to be taken seriously."

What I realised after so many years is that people, including me, don't really find it hard to look at the positive, we just don't want to. It's easy to hold on to things than to let them go. I literally kept crying over a small fight I had with my best friend and just a day later, everything was normal. It's important to not focus on what is holding us back. It's vital to take a moment and really wonder if all the weight that we are carrying with ourselves is ours to carry.

Just take life as it comes. Be happy, be sad, be angry, be confused, be everything. Just keep moving forward. Gratitude isn't just found, it's something we all have but we usually pick something else over it. I love this quote I came around and thought I'd share -

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I personally find the daily check in helpful to record what I am grateful for on each day. I love the idea of a Gratitude Journal and keep meaning to make one, and bring my love of zentangle and craft into it but never seem to get there lol.

@dynamicHemlock1736

I would suggest making a feed post here on 7cups about what you are thankful for. You could try and do it everyday, weekly, or however often you please! You could write down what you are thankful for and tape the peice of paper somewhere you will see it often. Finally, take some time to appreciate the little things. Sit somewhere, close your eyes, and pay attention to the surronding sounds and smells. Observe all that mother nature has to offer.

I personally find that most gratitude and positivity comes to me when I detach myself from social media and get off my phone for a while. When you're not constantly bombarded with notifications of the "next best thing" or facebook highlights, it really lets you step back and be in your own life. It's so much easier to see the good things/blessings in front of you when you're not trying to find it somewhere else.

I am happy you are currently working on falling in love more with the world, its struggles and beauty.

I am happy you are trying to experience more little beautiful moments, even if its just a sunset or you see a cute dog.

Tips on how to practise being more thankful, positive and not take things for granted:

- Have a free throw competition tournament.

- When attempting to come up with better ideas and strategies to solve problems, it often helps to propose a seemingly ridiculous notion. Doing so can help you see otherwise invisible slutions

(Bob Sager).

Sit in the park and watch the people - children playing, dogs being walked, people enjoying each others company. Just observe. Look at your surroundings. Enjoy the sun, the trees, the landscape. Listen to the birds sing. Taking the time to notice my surroundings really helps me put things in perspective and find the joy in everyday things. Too often we take these things for granted.

Im not very good at drawing, but I find it helps me to see the details of beautiful, yet ordinary, things.

Volunteer for a cause you believe in. I volunteer at our local Humane Association. Walking the dogs or sitting with them, petting them, enjoying their companionship is relaxing. Dogs are resilient. It takes very little to make them happy. They are good role models for us. And volunteering makes you feel good.