Big Little Practice #4: 7 “Big Little Practices” That Will Transform Your Health
Over the past few weeks, I’ve shared 3 Big Little Practices so far based on some wisdom my mentor used to share with me: “The little things are the big things.”
I’ve found that this principle can be applied many ways, including your health and wellbeing.
So far, I’ve shared the first three Big Little Practices.
If you missed any, be sure to check them out.
Today, let’s talk about Big Little Practice #4.
Big Little Practice #4: Practice Gratitude
I don’t think this Big Little Practice comes as a surprise to you.
I think being grateful is a skill that we want to develop both when things are going wrong and when things are going right.
When we have an “attitude of gratitude,” our perspective expands as our mind shifts to the positive.
When things are going wrong in our life, tapping into the things that we’re grateful for can immediately pull us out of a funk and get us thinking in terms of abundance, what could be, and what’s possible.
But, it’s hard to tap into this deep gratitude if it hasn’t been developed, and a great way to develop our gratitude is to let positive feelings sink in when things are going right.
I like to call this your “gratitude bank.”
We have to make “deposits” into our “gratitude bank” on a regular basis, so that we have something to tap into when we need it.
I also find that the more specific your “deposits” are, the better.
Being grateful for your health is great, but what specifically about your health are you grateful for?
Is it that you’re alive?
Your body can function?
Your back pain has subsided?
What specifically are you grateful about when it comes to your health?
The more specific you can be, the better!
When my partner and I moved to Vancouver, we made a list of all the reasons why we were grateful to live in this beautiful city.
We continue to “make deposits” by adding things to our list, and when we experience one of those things, it sparks a sense of gratitude in us.
Plus, we try to mention it whenever possible to deepen the feeling – not just thinking it to ourselves, but talking about it and experiencing it together.
For example, we live above (literally a few floors above) a healthy grocery store; not to mention, we also live walking distance to Whole Foods, an even healthier store than the one below us.
This convenience of fresh fruits and vegetables just steps away from home supports our healthy lifestyle.
There’s also a big, beautiful park in our backyard.
Just about every evening, we stroll a few times around it as we reflect on our day.
There are a few really beautiful stops on the route, where you have a picturesque view of the mountains and sky.
We make sure to stop at that spot at least once to take it all in.
Often when we get to that spot on the route, we stop talking (even mid-sentence) and just stand there and look.
After a few moments making a “gratitude deposit,” we’ll continue on our way (and continue our sentence, if we can remember what we were talking about!).
Again, when things are going right, it’s easy to make deposits into our gratitude bank because like looking at those big mountains and that vast sky, our mind expands.
It’s when things aren’t going right in our lives that our vision constricts.
It is in these moments where we hope we’ve made deposits into our gratitude bank so that we can now make some “withdrawals.”
Your call-to-action this week is to make as many “gratitude deposits” as you can.
But go even a step further and write them down.
If I can make a suggestion: If you can, write things down that are constant; not things that come in and out of your life on a regular basis.
Gratitude is a practice that can deepen and develop over time and it can completely transform your health and your life.
That’s why it’s Big Little Practice #4.
I’ll see you next week for #5!
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