Have Gratitude for Yourself: 3 Ways to Practice

When you think of things you’re grateful for, how often do you include yourself?

Today, I invite you to take a moment…to practice having gratitude for yourself.

Can you take a moment now to thank yourself for…

…how hard you try…

…everything you’ve overcome…

…how thoughtful you are…

…and anything else you can appreciate yourself for…?

Here in the United States, this week is Thanksgiving–where many will be thinking about what they’re grateful for.

Whether you’re celebrating this holiday, or just looking to deepen your gratitude practice, can you remember to include yourself when you list what you’re grateful for?

To help with that, here are 3 ways you can practice having gratitude for yourself.

1. Cultivate your inner voice.

Can you be mindful of how you talk to yourself? Can you notice your tone, even on the most subtle levels… and commit to treating yourself with deeper gentleness and kindness?

I was talking on the phone with a friend the other day, one of those really long conversations where you end up also doing your chores for the day and cooking etc. while you’re chatting …

And as I was putting some things in the oven to cook, I said out loud to myself, “yes, that will be nice” and my tone changed such that my friend asked me if my cat had just walked in (if you have pets, perhaps you know you talk to them a bit differently)…

…to which I replied: “no actually, I was using that gentle voice just in talking to myself!”…

And, I realized this is the result of cultivating a deeper kindness toward myself. The way I reflexively talk to myself has completely shifted. (Most of the time! I definitely still catch some snarky/ mean self-talk that’s available for a shift once in a while…)

In short, when in doubt, talk to yourself like you would your pet or a beloved child…

Anyone else talk to themselves out loud by the way? I feel like I always have, but since the pandemic it’s become more frequent and more in front of other people…anyone else? Just me? 😂

2. “Thank-you” practice.

See how it feels to thank yourself throughout the day for anything you do for yourself…

…Cook yourself something nice? Take a moment to feel gratitude toward yourself…

… Give yourself a break when you need it? Send yourself a heartfelt thank -you…

If you do that now, can you feel how good that feels in your body?

3. Journal it out.

Spend a moment actually writing out all the progress you’ve made in your life. All the ways your current life reflects the effort you’ve put in over the years to improve. What is going well? What can you do with ease that would have been harder for you a few years ago?

Can you take a moment to truly thank yourself for getting you here?

Maybe there are still some areas of your life where you’re inviting improvement or growth…that’s normal, that’s life…

…but can you also acknowledge how far you’ve come?

However you choose to acknowledge and send gratitude for yourself, I invite you to take a moment now to do so.

Perhaps place your hands over your heart and take a few deep breaths into the feeling of love and gratitude for yourself.

Sending you love ❤️❤️❤️

PS. If you’d like to send gratitude to your own heart, one way can be through listening more deeply to her wisdom. If you haven’t already, you can get your FREE copy of the “Connect with Your Heart’s Wisdom Workbook” Here.

I made it pretty! (Or at least I think so!) And you can fill it out on your device or print it out to have a paper copy. ❤️