What is love? See the benefits of gratitude with these 4 practices

Love is one of the most dynamic and ubiquitous aspects of walking an inspired and meaningful path. It is fierce, gentle, and perhaps the most healing of all intentions. When you hold life dearly and cherish the moments, your positivity returns to you in magnitude. Even research shows us that the more love you feel in your life, the healthier, happier, and longer you’ll live.

So let’s start with the first question that might pop into mind: what exactly do you mean by love? This is a valid question considering that the English dictionary contains more than a dozen unique meanings, and the Ancient Greeks specify 8 different types! And yet, love is also one of our most universal and basic emotions, instincts, and needs as a human. So to help you deepen your understanding and, ultimately, the love you experience in your life, we synthesized the varying types and definitions for this intention into the following four perspectives:

Kind. Love and respect for those with shared values, i.e., friends
Deep. Rooted emotional connection and acceptance, i.e., immediate family
Self. Acknowledgment of self-worth and attention to wellbeing
Whole. Overarching care for the whole of creation, i.e., humanity, nature

And, thankfully, to help our hearts and minds focus, the path to elevating the love you experience in all areas is the same: Gratitude. To help you take the next step on your journey, we’ve outlined 4 of our favorite practices for our favorite 4 letter word below.

If you'd like to get started by strengthening your ability to tap into the present moment, take a peek at these simple, quick activities.

1. Honor Your Present Moment True Feelings of Gratitude

hand wearing love temporary tattoo holding fern leaf

Within each moment rests an invitation to set your heart aglow… or at least begin to stoke the embers. Simply pause to reflect on what makes you grateful in that moment. Some examples of gratitude might include: a co-worker helping get a job complete (“kind”), a family member being at your side (“deep”), your commitment to healing (“self”), or the vast beauty of the ocean (“whole”).

OR, you might feel the cushion under your seat and gratitude for the comfort and rump support you’re offered! The key to this practice is taking mindful pauses throughout your day to breathe, notice, and feel the gratitude of whatever (big or small) may be in your inner thoughts or outer surroundings that makes your heart happy.

2. Keep a Gratitude Journal

A gratitude journal is another way to connect with the highest positive vibration - love itself. If you’re new to journaling or have been keeping a log of your life for years, this is an excellent and simple practice to try. Start or end your day by writing down 5 things you are grateful for. These may be similar to what you notice during your present-moment pauses. Or you may find that giving yourself a few minutes to get your thoughts down on paper opens a whole new layer of feeling grateful!

You might consider writing about your personal gifts or qualities, things you’ve shared, people you value, or positive experiences. Again, as you write your 5 lines daily, let yourself feel the goodness these people or events have brought. It’s like a barbell curl for your heart muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it will be.

3. Express your Appreciation

Expressing your appreciation is one of the easiest ways to send your love vibes into the world and for them to return to you. Noticing and feeling gratitude within yourself is a game-changer, and expressing those positive thoughts about someone or something is love’s “powerplay.” There are endless ways to make this practice work for you all day, any day. When you’re on the lookout for things you are grateful for, more things start popping up! You might begin by sharing how much you appreciate someone’s kindness or how a small thing they did helped you. It’s also lovely to take note of a characteristic or talent you see in someone else and offer them a reflection of your appreciation of their quality or work. For example, “I really value how well you listen and are willing to help me work through things whenever I need it. Thank you for being there for me - it means a lot.” And there are the points of gratitude that may have less importance, like letting your mail carrier know how much you appreciate them getting your letters in your mailbox.

In addition to sharing appreciation for others, sharing your gratitude with others is also helpful. For example, if you’ve just noticed that the sky is a beautiful shade of blue today, why not say so?! Help others begin their practice with your positive remarks. And if no one else is around - tell the cat, tell the plant, tell yourself… expressing your appreciation is an immediate boost for your wellbeing.

Thank-you notes are the heart’s way to make an even more powerful positive impact on another person’s wellbeing… and your own. The best part about writing a note to someone else with your gratitude is that they may return to your words years in the future, allowing your good vibes to continue reverberating. You might even consider writing one to yourself!

4. Reflect on your Blessings

Our favorite gratitude practice is taking a gratitude walk or dedicating time to sit and be in awe of all that is good in your life and all the goodness that has allowed you to arrive in this present moment. Even if things are not feeling so great at the moment, dedicating time to focus on what is good will continue to build the love you feel in your life. Ideally, you can pick a time each week to go all in on gratitude for 15 minutes or more. During these dedicated times, paint as full of a picture as possible with as many details as possible about your object, experience, person, or quality that you feel blessed to have had or have in your life. Again, feel the good feelings that this gratitude brings you. Let those pour over you, and allow your heart to experience that flutter again.

Final Thoughts on the Benefits of Gratitude

Incorporate as many suggestions in the list above into your life. You may find some of the practices easier than others you may already be doing. For example, your ability to be grateful grows over time. This is because you orient your mind and heart to see what warms your heart. And, when you share your appreciation, more good things are drawn to you. The key is to stay on your path with your gratitude radar on and beam your appreciation as much as possible.

Hello, #BrighterBeing! Interested in exploring more? Because we’re all about reminders here at LumenKind, we make handy guides and tools to support you in taking action on these insights. And, we hope you'll join us on the journey with monthly insights, suggested intentions, and mindfulness tips.

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