Positive psychology is focusing more and more on gratitude and how to find it in your life to not only counteract depression but simply increase happiness. Here is a list of exercises I found on the Self Help Magazine Blog that Joanne found somewhere.
Ten Gratitude Exercises
1. Gratitude Journal
· Daily recall of 3 to 5 occurrences
· Association with “gift”
2. Remember The Bad
· The worst day of your life, but you made it through
· Counterfactual: “it could have been worse…”
3. Three questions
· What have I received from _________________?
· What have I given to ______________________?
· What troubles and difficulty have I caused__________?
4. Prayers of Gratitude
· From your own religious background
· From Native American or Buddhist traditions
5. Come To your Senses
· Body-related gratitude; the 5 senses
· Breathing
6. Use Structures (Visual Reminders)
· Reminding and becoming aware
· Post-Its, beepers, signs, objects, social support
7. Practice Gratitude
· Vowing to perform an act increases the likelihood that you’ll do it
· Write it down, repeat daily
8. Watch Your Language
· Whorfian hypothesis (language determines the nature and content of thought)
· The words we use create reality
9. Go through The Motions
· Pencil experiment
· Express gratitude as a habit
10. Think Outside The Box
· Be grateful to those who do you harm
· Be grateful to someone whom you benefit
