If you’ve been trying out the gratitude meditations I’ve been sharing this month, by now you should be an expert at coming up with things to feel grateful for. So it’s time to take things to the next level by making sure you’re always feeling grateful when you do a gratitude meditation. 

It’s easy to fall into a routine of listing out the same things and that’s okay. Some of the things which regularly find their way onto my gratitude list include my bed (because I love my bed!), the internet, my iPhone and laptop and my dogs. The fact that I have these five core things to base a gratitude practise on is great – it shows that I have things in my life which consistently bring me joy and happiness. But the flip side is that there are times when I’m really not feeling like practising gratitude, so I fall on these old faithfuls without really considering why I’m grateful for them or truly experiencing that emotion.

This past week has been quite rough and I haven’t always wanted to do my usual practises. Traumatic events like losing a friend can take their toll and it’s at these times, self-care becomes a priority. When that happens, I go with whatever form of meditation is most appealing to me in that moment.

But other times, maybe I’ve had a long day and I’m simply tired. While meditation is relaxing and uplifting, there are still days when I just want to go to sleep and the last thing I want to do is consciously focus my mind. At times like that, making a gratitude list can become nothing but going through the motions with no real intent and certainly no actual meditation. 

If you find yourself feeling this way, one way of snapping yourself out of it is to shift your approach to gratitude. Think of the silliest thing you can be grateful for and focus on that. For example, I like wearing comfy underwear! I don’t care if it’s not sexy or attractive. I love how they feel and that feeling puts a smile on my face. 

Maybe you can be grateful for Tiger King – it united so many of us at a time when we were isolated and if you think about all the things that had to be in place for that show to hit our screens, the events that occurred, how many people worked on the show, how the internet was invented which led to Netflix being launched, all those little things are truly miraculous if you look at them from the right perspective and that sense of wonder can make one guilty pleasure of a reality show into something which is incredibly special. 

Ice cream. Be grateful for the existence of ice cream! Think about that delicious creamy goodness exploding onto your tongue and how refreshing it is to enjoy a delicious ice cream on a sweltering summer day. And then you can be grateful for all the hot summer days you’ve enjoyed. Even if it’s the middle of winter, those days aren’t ever more than six months away. 

Losing yourself in these kinds of thoughts is a great way to reinvigorate your gratitude practice when you feel yourself falling into a rut. You can use these as a meditation in themselves – relive an experience you’re grateful for, really recreating it in your mind. So if, like me, you’re grateful for your bed, focus on the feel of the sheets against your skin, how warm and snuggly it is to be tucked up under the blankets. Then focus on the scent of freshly washed laundry and how comforting the smell of your bed is. Then focus on what you hear when you go to sleep at night. Are there any regular sounds like the ticking of a clock? Maybe you sleep with a pet or a partner – do you hear their breathing? What does your bed look like? What’s the pattern of your favourite duvet cover? 

Ask you focus on this recreation of something you’re grateful for, allow yourself to lean into the feeling of gratitude. You may find yourself smiling involuntarily. It’s almost impossible to keep the smile off your face when you’re feeling happy, so if you find a smile spreading over your face while you’re meditating, allow it. 

Gratitude is the secret sauce of the universe. Feel grateful for something every day and you’ll soon notice the impact it has on your mood.