Hello happy Wednesday. Today I'm going to share with you how to begin a gratitude practice.
This is something I have been telling you about for so long, but today I'm going to share
some positive psychology studies that actually back up my words. I'm going to tell you more about
obviously my own personal experience with gratitude and how it changed my life and how it can change
yours too. And as you may or may not know, I went to school for psychology. I think this stuff is
so interesting, but I get it. No one wants to feel like you're in a lecture hall or going to school
when you are just on a hawker walk, but I have my phone today to break down the information as
easily as possible and just tell you how important gratitude is. Welcome back to the Wellness
Cafe podcast. You're going to hawker walk podcast. I'm your host, Trin Tondaleer. I hope you're
having an amazing beautiful day. I'm so excited to do a deeper dive into gratitude today because
as you may not know if you're new here, which if you are welcome to TWC, I'm so glad you found
our little corner of the internet. But if you are a new member here, I started this little
amazing community, the Wellness Cafe because I had essentially hit my rock bottom with my mental
and physical health about six years ago. And after that, I went on a mission to change my life
and the life I live today. Honestly, truly, I don't know if I wake up. Like there honestly isn't a
day that goes by where I'm not honestly pinching myself and thinking to myself, I cannot truly believe
that this is the life I live now. The changes that I was able to make in my life by putting in the
work and implementing small everyday habits and rituals is seriously insane. And that is where
the Wellness Cafe was born because I truly think that I found these little secrets to true
genuine happiness. And I just wanted to share them and help as many people as I can. And a huge
important factor in changing my mental health for the better was implementing a gratitude practice.
I talk about it all the time, but today we're going to dive into it. And I'm also going to tell you
how you can start your own gratitude practice because I talk about it a lot, but I get a lot of
questions being like, I don't really understand where to start. What is a gratitude practice? How can
I do this? I hear you talk about it, but I need a step-by-step breakdown on how I can actually
start doing this for myself. And today I'm going to give that to you. But before we get into all the
gratitude talk, a couple housekeeping things and weekly updates. So last week I was getting ready to
go to the stampede. I just got back home last night. Anyway, I was shopping right after the episode
comes out and Brody calls me. And he goes, are you kidding me? And I say, what? And he says,
why did you tell all of TWC that I cannot swim? Brody was really upset by this. I was being dramatic
and he would like it to be known that he can swim. And I was at the stampede having a girls weekend.
He had a boys weekend in the Okanagan. And he boasted on his story. He was literally so upset that
he posted on his Instagram story a video of him swimming in the lake to prove that he can swim.
So I was in trouble for making fun of him to you guys. So Brody can swim. I thought that was
really funny. He just called me. He's like, come on. They're actually going to think I physically
can't swim. So he can swim. He just, you know, you know, he can swim. Sure. Whatever you say, bro.
What else? We are live on the video pod. There will be video podcasts every single week,
unless something goes wrong on my end on the technical side. But I always say that this podcast
is supposed to feel like a bestie good vibe FaceTime. So now you can actually feel like we are
FaceTiming and come join the video pod. Make sure that you're subscribed. It would mean the world
to me and the link will be in the show notes of the episodes. What else? I just got home from
Stampede. I went with Justin Raich who you have heard from before. We went for our little annual
girls trip. And we just had the best of times there. When I asked what you wanted to hear for
Hawk Girl Summer, some questions were like, how do I have a Hawk Girl Summer while I have a boyfriend?
And to me, Pete Hawk Girl Summer is driving doing a road trip with my two best friends
listening to Hold Down Throwdown by Miley Cyrus belting hit at the top of our lungs. And we have
Starbucks. We have our Sue cases packed. We have our cowboy hats like that is my Hawk Girl Summer.
There is nothing better than true genuine female friendship. And even if you're in a relationship,
I think it's so important that you still, you know, you need that. Just there's some things that
the boys just don't understand. You know, you need that girl female feminine friendship singing
Miley Cyrus, singing your favorite songs, wearing your sweatsuits ready for the weekend. It's just
the best energy ever. And I really, I really value my girl time. And I think it makes me, it makes
me a better girlfriend when I have that balance out of female time away from Brody no matter how much
I love you Brode, female friendship is just so important. So a Hawk Girl Summer doesn't mean
that you have to be hooking up with boys. Literally, you can have a Hawk Girl Summer while you're
in a relationship. There's just different styles of Hawk Girl Summer. And to me, it is wearing my
sweatsuit and my cowboy hat on a road trip with my two best friends Starbucks in hand singing Hold Down Throwdown.
That's my Hawk Girl Summer so far. But we went for two nights Friday and Saturday and Friday,
we went to Cowboys, the Cowboys tent at the Stampede. And we had a little bit of boy drama for the
first time in a while. There was a man not being so nice to one of my best friends and nothing
makes me more upset than seeing that. So Friday was kind of, we took some elves on Friday,
but we still had some amazing girl time dancing and singing. And then Saturday, we ended up going
to Loud Luxury because we were with Rachel's brother and that's where he was going and they
don't get to see each other often. And another thing of Hawk Girl Summer to me isn't necessarily going
to the concert, but it's coming home with your friends after you've had a night out. We all,
we share one bed obviously. You have to have a good old sleepover with your best friends and you
were never too old for a sleepover. But we came home after going out and we all got in bed,
inner PJs, and we were going through the videos of the night, like the videos we took that night.
And we were genuinely just laughing so hard in bed that we like probably could have peed our pants
watching back the videos of us because as you know, as you know, we are doing the 0.5s in the
middle of the mosh bit, taking videos of us singing and dancing. And there's this one video of
me where Rachel was taking it and I was standing right next to her so you could only really hear my
voice. You know, there's nothing worse than taking videos of a concert. And in the moment,
you don't think you're singing that loud. And then it's the only thing that picks up on your video.
So anyway, we're watching the video and the song like you got a fast car.
And we listen and we pay attention and meet. I can't believe I'm telling this story. You probably
won't think it's funny, but we just listened to the video and I sing. These are the lyrics I say.
I'm like, I'm in a relay fast car. And it's just the stupid shit like that. Like that is
hot girl summer to me just crying, laughing with my two best friends that I'm in a really fast car,
making my own lyrics for the rest of time. And that is what hot girl summer is to me. There's also
sorry, I'm going to sewer Jess here. There's also a video of her where it's like the gree song.
What is it called summer 11? And it's supposed to be like summer days drifting away.
And we just hear Jessica summer days ripping away. Okay, these these stories are probably so stupid
to share with you. But now you feel like you're a part of the friend group and that is just the
stupid stuff that we do. Like that is the girl time I need. I need to make our own lyrics. I need
to be in a really fast car. And I need to be in our sweatsuits singing hoe down throwdown. Thank
you. That is all. So the motto of the weekend kind of became whatever lyrics you want babe. And
that is hot girl summer to me. You know, hot girl summer doesn't even have to do anything with
being hot. To me, it is about hanging out with your friends, not taking yourself too seriously.
And just allowing yourself to relax and have fun and laugh at yourself. I laugh at myself
probably more than anyone on this planet. And I think it's really important to just have that
girl time and not take yourself so seriously. Because as a kid, we have all these sleepovers and
slumber parties and birthday parties. And then you grow up and you have a full-time job and everyone
is supposed to like be so serious. You know, but sometimes it is just important to have that time
with your friends, not take yourself too seriously. And just laugh at yourself and have a good time.
So that is hot girl summer to me. You can have a hot girl summer with a boyfriend. You can have
hot girl summer with like, however, wherever you are, it is really just about having fun. Oh,
and I can confirm for La Luxury, I wore two little white bow ties in my hair. I did too many
pigtails that were going towards the back of my head. And then I put the bows where the elastics
were. And I can confirm that it is one of the funniest and funnest little vibes to just walk
around with little bow ties in your hair with the girls like that is hot girl summer. I got just
to put two bow ties in her hair as well. And we were just laughing, singing whatever lyrics we want
with matching bow ties in our hair. So that was a mood booster. If you have any events, if you have
festivals, concerts, I would totally recommend doing the little bow tie trend. I mean, you know,
you already know that I got this idea from Miss Haley Beaver. So I cannot take credit, but it is
so freaking fun. Okay. And one last thing, sorry, before we get into the gratitude episode, I
obviously stayed at home for one extra day after the stampede. I stayed at home with my family
in Edmonton. And we spent the day just going through like old photos and videos and going through
old things. And I posted some of the old photos on my Instagram stories. They were hilarious,
but I found this shirt. I will post a photo of it on the video episode if you're watching on YouTube,
but I found this shirt that 11 year old baby swifty trend made going to speak now. And it just
says Taylor Swift speak now on it. I fully took the shirt to Michaels. I broke out like the
litter sticks. And I guess I put my own little twist onto the lyrics as well on the back. I wrote
it would be enchanting to meet you. And there's like 13s with hearts around them on each sleeve.
And then on the back, I don't know, it's really cute. So I may have to scratch all ideas I have for
Aristotle outfits and wear that shirt as a tribute. But other than that, I think I've streamed
I can see you a very unhealthy amount of times since speak now came out. And that is all.
That is kind of the hot girl summer update. And let's get into the gratitude episode.
Okay, my beginners guide to gratitude 101 gratitude changes your entire perspective of the world.
And it is such an essential ritual and habit to cultivate in your routine. If you like,
if you want to be happier, if you want to be more positive, if you want to stop comparing,
it's really crazy when you look at the science of it and realize how big of a difference it truly
can make. I believe the gratitude has changed my life and has had a significant significant impact
on my mental health. And there are also psychological studies that confirm this.
There has been many clinical trials done to study gratitude. And I think it is so interesting. So
I'm going to share it with you today. So you have, if you're like me, you need a little bit of
science. You need a little bit of why behind the reason for the habits that you're doing.
And I'm going to share with you the important ones today. As you know, I talk about gratitude a lot
on the show. I have a whole freaking gratitude segment at the beginning of episodes because
it is just that important in my routine because I have truly seen how big of an impact it can make
on your life. And I want to share that knowledge with you and I want to share the secrets to success
and being the healthiest, happiest version of yourself that you can be. But if you're listening to
this and you don't have a gratitude practice and you think it is a bunch of woo woo and you just
don't think that it could really hold that much power over your mental health and your day-to-day
routine, I get it. Trust me, I get it. When I was in high school and this was peak, like the bottom
of my mental health, it was the lowest ever, I would spend quite a lot of time upset in my bedroom
crying in bed. And my mom would always come in my room, lay on my bed with me and talk to me about
what is going on. And I remember every single time she would say, okay, but what is one thing that
went well today? What is one thing that you're grateful for? And I would roll my eyes and I was so
annoyed. I just wanted to lay in my sadness. I wanted to lay in a sad little burrito and cry. And I
had no care. I did not care to think of one thing that went well. I rolled my eyes and I thought
that it was silly. So trust me, the point of that story is to say, I get it. If you are someone
who has been told over and over again that gratitude can change your mental health and that it makes
a big difference. And you just don't buy into it. I get it. Trust me. I used to think it was
the silliest thing ever. I didn't see the point in just naming a couple weird random things I was
happy for even if I couldn't think of anything. But slowly but surely I did start realizing how powerful
a gratitude practice can be for you. So just hear me out. Stick with me even if you are someone
who is hesitant to buy into it. So I'm going to go over some studies on what gratitude is,
how it affects your brain and how it can change your life. And I also found some studies that I'm
going to share with you that have been done to support these findings and share with you my personal
journey with gratitude and how I practice gratitude on a daily and how you can as well.
So first off, what is gratitude and how can it change your brain? Gratitude is, if you google it,
it says it is the quality of being thankful readiness to show appreciation for and to return
kindness. The way I see it, gratitude is a tool that I used and you can use to rewire your brain.
If you're someone who always seeks out the negative in your day and always likes to complain
and you find yourself focusing on the negatives and it's like one small thing happens that
pisses you off and ruins your day like you spill your coffee you know and that just sends you
and ruins your time and you just you know your brain automatically goes to the negatives.
And if you're focused on what you don't have instead of what you do have and if you're in that
comparison mindset always comparing your life to others and wanting what they have.
That was how I always thought. So like I said, I used gratitude as a tool to completely rewire
my brain to view the cup as half full instead of half empty because it really all is about your
perception and what you focus on you tend to seek out more and you see more of. So when you're
practicing gratitude and focusing on the good, suddenly the good is just all around you.
And trust me, I get it. I used to be the most negative person in the world but I promise you
this works and I'm going to share with you the science behind that. When you practice gratitude,
it is actually scientifically proven that serotonin is the most associated chemical with a
gratitude practice. And when you start practicing gratitude, it is going to make a chemical release
that increases your neural circuits and it makes you more likely to lean into that interaction
whether it be gratitude with yourself, expressing gratitude to others, the more you're firing
those neural pathways, the more likely it is that you will start doing it habitually without it being
such a struggle if it is a struggle for you. When I was looking up research and studies to share
with you for today's episode, I was actually surprised to see that there has been clinical studies
done to show the association with gratitude and not only rewiring your negative thought patterns
and helping your brain be healthier, but there is some studies that have shown it helps your body
health and like your heart. I'm getting ahead of myself. So let me rewind. Okay, so this is a quote
from a positive psychology paper from Harvard Health that says gratitude has been found to be
beneficially associated with social well-being, emotional well-being, and psychological well-being.
In short, gratitude can boost neurotransmitter serotonin and activate the brain stem to produce
dopamine. Dopamine is our brain's pleasure chemical, the more we think positive grateful
thoughts, the healthier and happier we feel. People feel an expressed gratitude in multiple ways.
They can apply it to the past, the present, and the future. Regardless of the inherent or
current level of someone's gratitude, it is a quality that individuals can successfully
cultivate further. So I wanted to share that little bit of information because if you're someone
who this doesn't come very naturally to, I wanted to emphasize that practice makes perfect
everything takes time, but even if this doesn't come very easily to you, you can work on it and
cultivate your gratitude practice so that it becomes habitual. Okay, and going back to the article
from Harvard Health, it says other studies have looked at how being grateful can improve
relationships. For example, a study of couples found that individuals who took time to express
gratitude for their partner not only felt more positive towards the other person, but also felt
more comfortable expressing concerns about the relationship and how to more meaningful connection.
So a gratitude practice along with all the other small healthy habits that I tell you about
really does so much for you. And it's just crazy because you've heard me say so many times that
I started doing these habits and I promised myself that I was going to write in a gratitude
journal and do my morning routine. I just wanted to see what would happen if I didn't give up
because that's another thing. All these little habits really do take time and I don't ever want
to sugarcoat anything. It will take a while. You do not see instant results and that is why so many
people will give up because it's so easy. Obviously, it's so easy to give up if you're not seeing results
and just keep doing these expecting good things to happen and if you're not seeing it happen,
it can be really diminishing. Like, absolutely, if you're not seeing results, that's going to make
your motivation weaken and as the days go by and you're still not seeing results, it can be so
easy to want to give up. And that is why I just want to be so 100% honest with you that these
things will take time. But if you go into it knowing that it's going to take time, I think that
is easier because you're not expecting instant results. But if you have the motivation and if you
don't give up and if you keep going, each day, you are getting one step closer. And that's why
you've probably also heard me say that I can't really even remember the day. Like, there wasn't
one specific day where I noticed that things were starting to change, but it was just like all the
set in all these little habits just suddenly started working together so beautifully. And I can't
remember the exact moment that I saw things turning around for myself, but one day I just realized
without even noticing, I had continued to show up for myself every single day. And suddenly,
I had a realization that I was feeling so much better. I was happier. I was kinder to myself and
others. My physical and mental health was doing better. And if you continue to show up for yourself
every single day, you will have that moment too, where suddenly everything comes together in alignment
and all your hard work pays off. Even if you don't notice it, if you keep showing up, if you keep
doing the habits that make you feel good, you will get results. It's not just not going to work.
It is scientifically proven that these habits will help you with your mental health and they will
help you feel better. But you have to show up for yourself and you have to promise yourself that
you are going to show up for as long as it takes. And just remember that you are getting one step
closer every single day. Even if you can't see your progress, the progress is being made.
And then one day you'll suddenly have that feeling too, where you look back and go holy shit.
All this time I was working on myself. I was working on my mental health. I was working on reframing
my negative thought patterns. And all this said in all this time has gone by where you continued
to show up for yourself every single day, which I know you can. You are capable of doing that
for yourself because you deserve to live a healthy, happy life. And I know you can do it.
And with implementing a gratitude practice alongside all the other amazing habits that I talk about,
they all just intertwine so beautifully to make this. Honestly, just like a perfect recipe for
being healthy and happy. And I appreciated things more. And I stopped comparing myself to others.
And instead of always needing a new trip to look forward to or an event to look forward to,
I just hook up every single day, hopped out of bed, excited for my morning moment.
Okay, I have another quote from the Harvard Health paper that I thought was really nice. It said,
gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new
in the hopes that it will make them happier or thinking they can't feel satisfied until every
physical and material need is met. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of
what they lack. And although it may feel redundant at first, this mental state grows stronger with
use and practice. So again, I just wanted to assure you that it will get easier with practice.
Don't give up if you're not seeing instant results. Don't give up if it's hard for you. And you
have to force yourself to practice gratitude. Slowly but surely it will start becoming habitual to
you. And I really liked that quote where they talk about it's a way for people to appreciate what
they have instead of always reaching for something new. Because I've talked about so many times that
I always used to be a person that needed a trip to look forward to or like my high school graduation,
I was looking forward to that. And then after that, it's like, okay, let's book a new trip. Let's
have a I needed a date in the future that was a big exciting event. And Brody and I spent so
much time traveling and do not get me wrong, I am so thankful and appreciative that we had those
memories. And I wouldn't take our travels back. But when we were traveling a lot, that was just
about the time or like right before I had started working on myself and developing these good habits.
And I was in a really bad cycle of always needing something to look forward to and to like
stimulate myself. If that makes sense, like when we got back from Europe is when we bought a brand
new car because it was like, okay, now let's do this. Let's do this. Like I always needed something more
until the effects of practicing gratitude and these morning rituals really started kicking in.
And instead of needing a new trip or needing to go shopping or needing a party or a concert or an
event, like it's so fine. It is so great to have things to look forward to. But it is also amazing
to make yourself a morning moment that you look forward to every single day because you deserve to
have something that makes you excited to get out of bed every day. And you don't need to be
depending on a trip or a new car. Like that is why I think honestly that's why I decided that I
wasn't going to buy a Jeep because yes, I want a new car and it would be great and it would be
such a luxury to be able to have a brand new car obviously. But I think after practicing this
lifestyle for so long, I really know deep down that a new car or a new material thing isn't going to
make me happy. And I'm not saying that I'm unhappy right now when I was looking for something to make
me happy. I just after sitting on it and thinking about it for a while, I know that a new material
thing is amazing. It's going to be great. But that happiness is often short lived and when it
when it is such a big purchase. And I know that it is great. It is a luxury. It is something amazing.
I could have added to my life. But I know that it isn't a necessity. I know that material things
only bring you happiness for so long. And that is why ultimately I decided to invest my money
because I knew there would be smarter. Sorry, I knew I could make smarter decisions with my money
right now that would make me happier down the line. If that makes sense, I don't know if that was
the best example to give for that. But it's just the most recent thing I could think of to share
with you. But okay, I won't tell you that much more research. I promise I will start sharing
ways that I practice gratitude and how you can practice gratitude on a daily. I just really
wanted to emphasize that there really is research and studies done on gratitude. It's not just
something that I randomly decided that I was going to make a segment of the podcast and try to
encourage you to think of something you're grateful for every single time. Like this is actually
a phenomenon that has been studied for the effects it has on your brain and your overall health.
For me, I personally started incorporating a gratitude practice into my routine when it was
still hard. You know, I hadn't been subconsciously doing the work and it already started coming
naturally to me. When I first started doing it, it was hard. And I had to sit there and really
force my brain to go into a positive thinking pattern. And it wasn't something that came naturally
to me at all. Like I've told you, I used to be very negative and always unfortunately see the
negative side of things. And I often get DMs from you saying that you want to start a gratitude
practice. But you think that you need to be in a better mental state before you can even begin
because it's impossible or really hard where you're at. So the last study I'm going to share
may help you if you think that you need to see progress in your mental health before you incorporate
a gratitude practice. And this is from the University of California doing a study on gratitude
to see if it only affects people if they already are in a good mental state or if it helps those
struggling with their mental health as well. So they said we set out to address these questions
in a research study involving nearly 300 adults, mostly college students who were seeking mental
health counseling. We recruited these participants just before they began their first session of
counseling. And on average, they reported clinically low levels of mental health at the time.
We randomly assigned our study participants into three groups, although all three groups received
counseling services. The first group was also instructed to write one letter of gratitude to
another person each week for three weeks, whereas the second group was asked to write about their
deepest thoughts and feelings about negative experiences. And the third group did not do any writing.
And it says what did we find? Compared with the participants who wrote about negative experiences
or only received counseling, those who wrote gratitude letters reported significantly better
mental health four weeks and 12 weeks after their writing exercise ended. This suggests that
gratitude writing can be beneficial, not just for healthy, well-adjusted individuals, but also
for those who struggle with mental health concerns. In fact, it seems practicing gratitude on top
of receiving psychological counseling carries greater benefits than counseling alone, even when
that gratitude practice is only brief. Okay, and I have one last thing about that study because
this blew my mind, and I didn't even know this. It said more interestingly, when we compared those
who wrote the gratitude letters with those who didn't, the gratitude letter writers showed
greater activation in the medial prefrontal cortex when they experienced gratitude in their MRI
scanner. While not conclusive, this finding suggests that practicing gratitude may help train
the brain to be more sensitive to the experience of gratitude down the line. And this can contribute
to improved mental health over time. One last study, before I tell you how you can begin practicing
gratitude, it is from Harvard Health. It says, there is a lot of evidence suggesting that having a
positive outlook like being optimistic, cheerful, having gratitude and purpose in life can be
heart protective. I won't like go into that paper, but basically I read it all and there's
they did a bunch of studies that showed that practicing gratitude improves your heart health,
like genuinely makes your body healthier besides just your mind and rewiring your thought patterns.
I think that stuff is so interesting. I will stop sharing the research now. I promise
that one I personally just thought was so cool because I love learning about how you can just change
your whole entire body with gratitude, like it is insane. So now you know some actual research
and some studies shown to support the gratitude practice. It is not just a woo woo shit that I talk
about. It is not just the wit shit. It will actually help you. So let me tell you how you can begin.
Before we get into the ways that you can cultivate gratitude in your life, I have to take a moment
to thank today's sponsor, Athletic Greens. Them sponsoring the show enables me to continue to give
you this content for free. And I take AG1 by Athletic Greens genuinely every single day. I tried AG1
a year ago and that's when I really started my gut health journey. I have got just on it, Rachel
on it, my mom, Brodie. I just share it with everyone I know in my personal life and I'm so happy
to share it with you too. I take AG1 in the morning before starting my day and working out. It is
a part of my morning moment along with journaling because all these tiny habits really just go
together so perfectly to set you up for success. And you know I love to take some time for me in the
morning before my busy day to take AG1 as a simple habit that makes me feel productive and on top
of my health right when I wake up. AG1 is daily nutrients and long-term gut health. It's all your
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today is a good time to start. Athletic Greens is giving you a free one-year supply of vitamin D
and five free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com-wellnesscafe.
That's athleticgreens.com-wellnesscafe. Check it out. It will be linked in the show notes.
I also take the vitamin D every single day right now and my natural path actually ran all my tests
and I have to take five times the recommended dose right now for two months. That is how deprived I
was of vitamin D living in Vancouver or rain-coover. Okay, let's get back to the journaling.
Ways for you to start your own gratitude practice and your journey to rewiring your mindset.
So the good news is that the hard part is over. All the research that I'm sharing is over. Hearing
me talk about that was probably the hardest part of this entire thing because a gratitude practice
is really simple. I have all of my old journals here so I'm going to read you some of my old entries
and also tell you a couple different ways that you can do a gratitude practice. I always get asked
how to start a gratitude practice and the answer is so simple. There isn't even really an answer.
A gratitude practice can look like whatever you want it to. You can trial a bunch of different
ways to incorporate a gratitude practice into your routine until you find something that works
for you. And in my own personal routine it changes from time to time. Sometimes it is
having my morning moment my eyes start to try in the morning looking out the window
thinking of things that I'm grateful for. Sometimes it is journaling them. Sometimes I'm really
appreciative of the people in my life and I let them know that. Right now my personal gratitude
practice looks like this journal right here she is my newest one and every single morning I sit on
my balcony in the morning sun I get sunlight I get fresh air sunshine on my face and I do a whole
entire page I write from top to bottom until I have no more room no lines left on the page and I
just keep going writing out things I'm grateful for until I can't think of anything else.
But really you just have to find what works for you what is maintainable for you
and find a way that you like to incorporate it. If I were you I would highly recommend trying to
start with a journal gratitude practice because as you know I am a big believer in manifestations
positive affirmations and gratitude. I think the three go together like the perfect little recipe
for attracting all your dreams into your life. I think that the law of attraction is so strong so
I start with my gratitude practice I write out every single thing that I am grateful for
that I can think of until a page is fully written and then I go to the next page and after I've
started with positive energy attracting positive things to me we have the law of attraction
potion just like brewing then I go on the other side of the page every single morning and I
write out positive affirmations and manifestations. Writing out manifestations affirmations and
gratitude statements is like that is my holy grail of my morning journal practice so I'm going to
finish the ways that you can do a gratitude practice and then I will read you some of my entries
of what I write down for my gratitude practice but let me know if you would like me to do a whole
entire episode on my journaling because like I said I think gratitude goes hand in hand with
manifestations and the law of attraction and positive affirmations and all three of those together
every single morning really is just it it honestly is a magic potion. I don't know how to explain
other than that my life is just so much better when I have the perfect mix of all three going on
I'm practicing gratitude I'm getting that positivity out into the universe I am
writing down I am statements as if I already have what I'm trying to manifest and then I write out
positive affirmations of things that I like about myself things that I want to happen and it's
just the most positive way to start your day I would highly recommend sometimes I fall off of my
journaling but I always come back to it because I'll start realizing that it's like if you're trying
to be a magnet for everything you desire it's almost like you can feel your pull is getting weaker
and like your charge your magnetic charge for everything you desire you can feel it start to
weaken and honestly okay I hate sounding woo woo but it is so true I can feel it and then I
start journaling again and I always get brought back to it because I just feel so much better when
I do this but I can do a full episode about that let's get back to the gratitude so the first
way to cultivate gratitude is journaling in your morning routine or you can also just think it
to yourself you don't have to write it down I would recommend writing it down because I think
it's stronger and more powerful but but it also works just to get the positive thoughts flowing even
if you don't have time to put pen to paper if you just take a moment when you're doing your skincare
when you're making your bed and just start subconsciously going through the thoughts so those are
two ways to cultivate gratitude and if you don't really know what to write down and let's say
you're just trying to think of things that you are grateful for but you kind of start running out
of things here are some extra questions besides just what am I grateful for that you can write down
an answer so obviously first is what are you grateful for then what makes you happy to be alive
what skills are you good at describe an act of kindness you're grateful for what is a recent
accomplishment you're proud of and today I'm most looking forward to those are some really simple
easy journal prompts to start getting into gratitude practices but there isn't a specific
way to do it those are just prompts if you're first starting to get into it and don't know what to
write but you don't have to be very strict about it it doesn't really matter what you're writing down
if you're writing down whatever feels right for you then that's what's right for you
and then the third and final way that you can cultivate gratitude is expressing thanks to others
more so this is probably the aspect of gratitude the head I don't do as often but when I do
it is the best feeling in the world there is nothing that feels as good as just showing thanks to
those you love and it honestly makes my heart happy it makes them happy so here is your sign to
tell others you love them and text the people you love and express your gratitude towards them
because how many times well personally for me and I'm sure you too there's just so many times
where I'm just going about my day and I will think to myself how appreciative I am for I don't
know for example Brody has been cooking so many dinners lately especially on Tuesdays when I'm
recording he's been so helpful and so often I think it to myself and I think to myself wow I
like I wouldn't have a healthy dinner tonight because I have to get the podcast up and if it weren't
for Brody I wouldn't have eaten a healthy dinner I'm so thankful for that and I'm sure you can
think of an example of the last time you thought to yourself how thankful you were for something
someone did for you but why don't we just take the time to show them and show them our appreciation
and tell them how grateful we are for them it feels so good when you don't just keep it to yourself
it is beneficial for your gratitude practice to just be thinking it to yourself that still is
creating your positive energy but something about just actually telling them how grateful you are
for them it's such a great feeling it increases your positive energy it increases their positive
energy and there's never too much positivity to go around it is the best thing ever honestly I'm
really bad for that I will admit that I think things to myself about others so many times I need
to call myself out and if this applies to you it applies to you too but why don't I just text
them and tell them and I've really been working on just if I'm thinking about how grateful I am
for something someone did to me to just show them my appreciation and I I actually don't remember
what made me I think I was editing a vlog of Fernanda and I hanging out in Vancouver and I was just
thinking about how grateful I am to have a friend in van and how much fun we've been having like
she's honestly one of my best friends right now we hang out all the time and I was just
thinking to myself how she really helped me get out of my shell in Vancouver and she really
encouraged me to leave the house and like be social and start to make a routine and a new life here
and I was thinking that to myself so literally in the middle of our conversation because we usually
text all day long I was like I just have to say this I'm editing a vlog right now I'm so happy for
our friendship I'm so thankful for you if it weren't for you I don't know if I would still be in
Vancouver right now or if I would be in Edmonton and I'm just really happy right now in van I love
the routine we have I'm so thankful for our friendship and I just sent that in the middle of the
text and I was like oops in a mood to just like tell the people you love them you love them and
I don't know that left me with a good feeling in my heart for the rest of the day I'm sure it made
her feel good so this is your reminder to tell the people you love that you love them and you are
grateful for them and that is pretty much it that's the best freaking part of boat a gratitude
practice is that to cultivate gratitude and positivity into your life it is not that hard but often
times it can be so easy to just give up or think that not think but overthink it and think it's
way harder than it is when really it is super easy it is one of the easiest habits you can do
it is free it is cost effective like you don't have to buy a fancy journal you can
get one pen one piece of paper and just start writing down what you're grateful for it is
free to call someone who you are thankful for and tell them how much you deeply appreciated that
and give them the biggest hug next time you see them and just really truly mean it so honestly
that's all the ways I'm going to tell you to cultivate gratitude in your life because I just
get so many DMs asking how to start a gratitude practice and I think that it's just I think often
it can be overcomplicated and overthought so I don't want you to be left with all this information
and just start overthinking it when really it is so so simple you just have to make a promise to
yourself to show up each and every day and keep practicing it it is something so simple that you
can do every single day that will really enhance your life and your well-being and make you happy
and more positive and you will stop comparing yourself you will wake up looking forward to your
morning moment I promise you a gratitude practice will change your life
so I'm going to end off today's episode by reading you some of my journals oh this is nostalgic this
was my very first one if you're not watching on YouTube this is a five-minute journal and that's
how I really got into my journal practicing each day you write down the date and then it says
I am grateful for what would make today great daily affirmations I am dot dot dot so let's
read some of them from the very first one when it said I'm grateful for I wrote down my family my
boyfriend my health I put my friends and family I'm grateful for my life I am grateful for the
nice weather after it being very cold for quite a while that was probably during an Alberta winter
then I have I'm grateful for a good workout and the ability to move my body and release
happy brain chemicals I am grateful for my house oh this is when I had my house actually you know
what this may have been from covid oh my gosh it is because the next a couple pages later it says I'm
grateful for the ability to have booked my vaccine I'm grateful for my mom and my dad and all my
families health oh wait this is so cute okay then I switched into my wellness journal after and
kind of started doing more of my own prompts but let's see what we have in here I think this is
from when we first moved it to van oh my gosh this is crazy because this is when there were still
COVID restrictions so one of the very first ones I opened it up to I wrote down I am grateful for
the small things and that I have gym access to move my body in times where most people do not
oh what because I was getting a lot of DMs I remember I still had access to my apartment gym
building you could book out the gym to use and so many people were asking how I was getting
to go to a gym in Vancouver isn't it crazy I feel like most of us just like blocked out COVID it's
like that never even happened when that was crazyness oh my goodness okay this entry I remember I
was doing it was some sort of zoom meeting where we were prompted to it was like a meeting or
something and we were supposed to write down our perfect day oh my gosh I wrote down
there's a couple sentences that I'm going to keep to myself but then the third sentence says
and then I wake up in my new bedsheets that are silky smooth wearing skims I go to the kitchen
and then I have my morning moment I look at the water from my apartment balcony I work out
with Rachel at house concepts I have an amazing and orphan rush I have a green smoothie I am
fueling my body with nutrients and I am laughing with my best friend that is what I wrote down when
I was asked to describe my perfect day oh my goodness that is so freaking cute I'm flipping through
the pages because honestly a lot of the times I write down stuff that is very repetitive and
yeah like you don't have to overthink it this one it says today I'm thankful for is the prompt
that this journal automatically has and then in all caps I put my entire life I am so happy for
loving friends family Brody he goes out of his way to make me feel so loved I am so grateful to
have gone to Whistler for the first time and I am grateful that Rachel was able to come visit me
the next day all I wrote down is I am grateful for my strong morning coffee then I have I am
grateful for my strength my community the ability to help others and my apartments Brode I write
your name almost every single day I am flipping through these pages and you're basically on every
single one oh I wonder what we did here oh wait this was this year when we went snowboarding on
Valentine's because I said today I'm thankful for on the next day I put last night's perfect
date night in my dream city honestly a lot of the ways that I use my gratitude practice right now
is to help me live in Vancouver because it helps me shift my focus to all the amazing things about
what I love living here so I kind of use it as a tool to be so grateful to live in my dream city
even though it has really been a struggle for me and I miss my family a lot and as you know it's
been quite the up and down battle for me but ultimately I know that I want to be here so I've really
been using my gratitude practice as a way to work through that so that's why oftentimes I'll write
like the sunshine I'm grateful for my apartment I'm grateful to live in a big city that's why I've
been writing down a lot of that so take that as you will but that is just an example of how you can
also use gratitude to reframe your mindset because I know that I can be happy here and I know that
I love it here but when I'm so focused on the negatives and the part of Vancouver that I dislike
the one part is that I miss my family sometimes when I fixate on that it can just snowball and I get
so so so sad when really when I freaking look around like I'm in my dream city I'm in my dream
apartment I've always wanted this and I have to focus and shift my focus to that instead of always
focusing on the one bad thing let's see if there's anything else from my most recent journal most
recently is when I just started doing a full page actually too because I've been trying to
use it so much to help me stay in van and help me do good here and this journal I got a nice new
big one I love her she's orange she has flowers and the reason that I got a bigger one is so that I
could do a whole page and honestly I have been doing the whole page of gratitude as I said to help
me cultivate gratitude to be in Vancouver and shift my negative mindset around my move and when I say
that I've been doing really well here I do think that this has been working and it has been helping
me a lot so like I'll write down I'm grateful for house concepts I'm grateful to have friends in
Vancouver I am grateful for my like dream apartment I'm grateful for living near the ocean I get
to go for walks like you know I've really been using it as a way to shift my mindset around being
here because when you think about it like me complaining about living in van is so stupid because
it is an absolute dream city but it just goes to show when you fixate on the negatives it can be
really hard to see anything else because when like my brain really easily focuses on how distraught I
am that I'm away from my family even though it's like really silly because I'm in my dream city
so I try to remind myself that that there's nothing like literally not one single thing that I
shouldn't be happy for in van anyway I'm sure you got it but I just realized I've never shared that
I've really been using a gratitude practice to help me with the move and journaling my feelings
and journaling what I'm grateful for to live here and yeah anyway I guess I will end off today's
episode here I just wanted to give you a big fat reminder to practice gratitude because like I
said that's like I'm sure you can even tell a difference in how much better I'm doing here
and like I said I just noticed such a difference in my life when my gratitude practice is strong
and when I am focusing on cultivating gratitude so I wanted to show you some research on reasons why
you should focus on it as well I wanted to remind you that you are more than capable of showing up
for yourself and practicing gratitude you do not need to overthink it I know that you can do it
it is not going to make a difference overnight but it's okay we know that we accept it
and we keep going but anyway I'm going to end off today's episode here I hope you liked it I hope
it was informative take what you need from today's episode let me know what parts you liked
and don't forget if you enjoyed today's episode it would mean the world to me and I would be
so thankful if you left a five star rating and review do not forget to subscribe to the podcast
video version on YouTube at the link is in the show notes and I think that is all I hope you
have an amazing week start writing down what you're grateful for do not overthink it literally
four sentences three sentences you got this you can show up for yourself each and every single day
and if you can't show up for me okay say what would Trin do if I didn't do this how how much
would it upset Trin if I did not show up for my gratitude practice okay think about me just
getting do it for yourself I love you so much and I will see you next week one