This is followed by forward-thinking, where we think about all the things we need to do, the emails that we need to answer, or the job we are about to get ready for, anything that we are worried about in the future. 

This type of thinking means we are either living in the past or thinking about the future. When this happens it is very much our ego talking. We are either grieving the past or looking forward to something in the future and never actually being in our present state. 

Eckhart Tolle says, “The Past has no power over the Present moment.” All of your Power relies on this present moment. Your well-being and taking great self-care relies upon this notion that there is Power in the Now, in this the present moment. There is so much science behind this in helping to cope with anxiety and depression. 

Evidence now shows that a practice of gratitude increases well-being, resilience, strengthens relationships, and reduces stress. Gratitude can be used quickly and easily to bring us back to our present state. This will help us to worry less about what’s happened in the past and be less concerned about what will happen in the future, and just be grateful in the moment now with what we have. 

There’s a beautiful quote from the book The Course of Miracles that says, “All your Past except its beauty is gone… and nothing is left but a blessing.” This is so powerful. If we can take forward the blessings that we have had from the experiences in the past, every experience that we have had, whether it be challenging or wonderful, we can use it as a gift that we can grow from. From there, we can move into our present state as the person that we are right now, which is a blessing in itself. 

Practicing Gratitude

The key here is to try and feel good in this moment right now, and not being worried about the past or concerned with the future. Anxiety is being concerned about the future and depression is worrying about the past. If we feel good about this moment right now we can escape those negative feelings. Being in the moment and being in gratitude will actually create and bring more joy into our lives. 

This energy that we create around us is what we put into the world and the world will give back to us. Think about it this way, you feel more attracted to people who smile more, or to those that have a happy attitude, if we are acting in the same way, we will get the same back. Like attracts like and creates more opportunities for us. 

However, if we are in a negative state and constantly worrying about the things we can’t control, it works the same way as the positive, we are going to get more of that back as well. Your focus should be to do a lot of energy work to try and shift it into the present state and feel-good moment to moment. 

What’s important when we practice gratitude is that we’re not making a comparison. You’re not talking to yourself like, “I’m so grateful for my life compared to that person.” That’s the ego creating separation and moving us away from feeling oneness and love. In the state of comparison, we are saying we don’t want what they have, or we are better because we have more and they have less. 

What Is Gratitude

Gratitude is when we are grateful for the love and the blessings we have within this moment. It’s less about the “things” and more about being in the moment and feeling blessed. It might be where we are grateful within our abilities, and when we’ve reached a challenging time the blessing might be the ability to choose a different way of thinking. 

That we always have a choice and can take responsibility for our feelings. We are grateful for the gift that we are being given in this moment, and that we have the power to change our perspective. Switching your thinking to the present moment, you’re not worried about what happened in the past or what might happen in the future, you are thankful in this present moment that you have everything you need. 

“I am loved.” “I am blessed.” “I am grateful.” 

Feeling good and joyful in the moment allows us to feel more of that moving forward. There are 3 elements of practicing gratitude:

1.Speaking This Affirmation: In this moment, I am grateful. Thank you for my ability to choose how I feel, seeing the positive in all life experiences and for all I have been blessed with. 

2. Practice Gratitude Daily. 

Wake up in the morning and shift your energy state. The energy that we wake up with really leads into the rest of our day, which may lead to the rest of our week and so on. However, we can take control and choose how we feel in the morning. Practice gratitude in the morning and before we go to sleep as well. 

The noise that we have in our head as we go to sleep will quiet down when we practice the gratitude we had for our day. This then leads to our subconscious creating new neural pathways and forming a new way of thinking. It doesn’t have to take a long time either, 30 seconds will do. 

It doesn’t have to just happen in your head either if it’s more beneficial for you to write it down or say out loud, do whatever feels comfortable for you. You might notice that the things you are grateful to stay the same, or they may change. Whether it is one thing or 10 things, the purpose of all this is for it to feel good in your heart. 

3. Give Thanks

It’s important to remember that it’s not a list of things that you have, it’s more about the feeling. “I am so grateful for all that I have been blessed with in this life.”  It’s that shift in energy of not being grateful so we get more, its “I’m grateful in this moment without wanting or needing for anything else.” “I have everything that I need and I’m so grateful. Thank you.” 

That joyful energy is then what goes and creates and attracts more for us because it manifests positive energy for us to then take forward. 

Keep that momentum going by signing up for my 365 Days of Self Love emails. This provides you with journal prompts to help you reflect, positive affirmations to carry you throughout your day, and quotes to inspire and motivate you.