While the world is in a state of turmoil and challenge, practising gratitude can help shift fears, heal emotional turmoil, and support us in many positive ways.

Gratitude is our ability to feel and express thankfulness and appreciation. It opens our heart, and is a state of mind and way of being that can shift our consciousness into an entirely different space. It’s impact can be felt in physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational and societal well-being.

Gratitude expands our vibration and energetic space, spiralling us upwards (or inwards) to Self. You feel uplifted, lighter, more alive, energised, happier, content, peaceful, and ‘whole’ within yourself. When you’re living in that open, expansive state, more of everything can flow. Gratitude shifts our thinking to one of joy and abundance, and so in this expansive feeling tone (vibration) of ‘joyful abundance’, you attract and magnetise more positive experiences, people, opportunities, situations, work etc., into your life.

In fact, practising Gratitude has many benefits.

Benefits of Gratitude include:-

* Improved physical health. By focusing on what you appreciate and are thankful for, it makes you feel good and takes your attention away from any physical conditions, aches and pains. As you focus on wellbeing, this positive energy literally vibrates in the cells of your body, increasing the vibration and aligning you to your natural state of wellness. As you shift vibration, it opens you to heal physical ailments and complaints. It said that practising Gratitude can strengthen the heart, improve the immune system, decrease blood pressure, reduce headaches, tension and stress. It can improve sleep as your mind is not focused on worries or concerns. Being more grateful for your body, you take better care of yourself, exercise, and eat the right foods.

* Improved psychological health. Through Gratitude, you feel more optimism, joy, pleasure, and higher levels of positive emotions, As you focus on what is already great or what you appreciate in your life, your positive attitude shifts from anxiety and depression. There is also less wantting, needing or striving, You have a stronger sense of inner contentment, so it doesn’t matter whether you obtain your desire or not, you are content anyway. When you’re living in that open, expansive state, more of everything can flow.

* Improved relationships. When you appreciate and are thankful towards others, they feel it. They feel valued, honoured, respected and loved for who they are. They also are more open to then return the same value, honour, respect and love back. You find that it opens the door to deeper and more meaningful relationships. It fosters improved communications, and resolves conflicts. Your ability to let go and expand your capacity for forgiveness. You want to help others, and are more generous and compassionate. With increased empathy, you reach out to others, increasing connection and feeling less isolated/lonely.

* Improved self-image. As you focus on what parts of yourself that you are grateful for, your sense of self changes and you enhance self-value, self-worth and self-esteem. You bring gratitude to your experiences, including your challenges, which brings a more authentic, rounded view of self. You develop a heightened spirituality, increase self awareness and connect to more parts of self. In so doing, your view of humanity and the world we live in expands in a more positive and meaningful way.

* Improved societal wellbeing. Through gratitude and appreciation, we increase our awareness of others and whats arounds us, including animals, the Earth and Nature. We start to feel more empathy and compassion, and thankful for what we do have. We learn to appreciate our place in the world and how each person/thing is contributing to the whole. If everyone practised gratitude, think how much of the world conflicts would diminish. It would see Countries and Nations become more co-operataive, with a deeper sense of caring, sharing, and equality. Our world would become a place of unity, harmony and balance.

Each experience is showing you more about yourself, others, and the world around you. Being grateful is not about ignoring your/ the World’s problems or issues; but about shifting perspectives, to reframe them and see the ‘gifts’ (benefits) that each challenge brings. In practising gratitude when you have difficulties arise helps you more easily deal with them.

How to Practise Gratitude Each Day:

* Deep breathing throughout your day (especially when you have challenges) helps you come into the present moment. Focus on the centre of your Chest (heart chakra), to open your heart and experience gratitude more deeply.

* Focus upon (think about) all that is good and beneficial in your life, from the ‘small’ things to more meaningful. Eg. Clean water to drink, warm weather, food to eat, your family, children, money, your job, etc.

* What do you appreciate about yourself? Look at your personal qualities, gifts, talents and strengths. Thank yourself for all that you are and all that you do.

* Show thankfulness to your physical body and the life it provides you, the way it looks, how it moves, how it works, you can breathe, think, feel, walk, run, eat.

* Say “Thank you” from the heart, especially to those that serve you (eg in a shop or restaurant), and to your work colleagues, friends, family.

* Spend more time with those that appreciate and care about you. Do something nice for them.

* Express gratitude to your partner or significant people in your life. Thank them for who they are and what they do.

* Quit gossip, complaints, judgements. if you find yourself doing so, affirm something positive about the person/situation instead.

* Use ‘intentional’ creation to align the energies to what you wish to manifest. Every day, write down all that you are grateful for, that you are creating.

* Review your day every evening, write down 3 positive things that happened and why you are grateful for them.

* Meditate to clear your mind, connect to your soul / higher self, and help reframe elements of life. Take some deep breaths beforehand to ground and centre you.

* Write a letter of gratitude to someone who has made a difference in your life, and send to them.

* Write a letter to someone you have had difficulty with, thanking them for the’ gift’ of learning. You can send it or burn the letter and as you do, release the old energy between you.

* Forgive those who hurt you – being grateful for the experience and practicing compassion.

* Accept the challenges, open to a ‘gift’ of learning, and bring gratitude to each one.

* Focus on what is abundant in the world (not lacking or in scarcity)

* See what is great in our World, including all that is in it – Nature, animals, sea, air, water, land, trees, etc.

* Help shift mass consciousness. Make a meaningful contribution to our planet, eg. join a cause or create one, help those in need, share your love.

Gratitude is a state of being we can all experience, in each and every moment.

What are you grateful for today?