Practicing Gratitude + Appreciation in Your Relationship
What Does Appreciation + Gratitude Look Like In a Relationship?
Photo by Vince Fleming on Unsplash
Last week, we talked about the value gratitude and appreciation brings to your relationship. When practicing daily, consistent gratitude you are happier, experience improved health, better sleeping habits, strong relationships, a more positive focus on your partner, and are better able to handle adversity, just to name a few benefits.
So how do you actually practice gratitude in your life and relationship? What does gratitude look like in your relationship? There are several ways you can practice gratitude. Below is a list of 10 ways to practice gratitude in your daily life and relationship. You do not need to do each activity rather, approach this with curiosity and discover what works best for you.
10 Ways to Practice Gratitude in Your Daily Life and Relationship:
Download my free guide: 30 Ways to Show Gratitude for Your Partner
Start a daily gratitude journal. Incorporate this into your morning or evening routine (or both!) Studies have shown that keeping a gratitude journal before bed actually improves the quality of your sleep.
Practice a guided gratitude meditation. Meditation has many benefits but focusing on a gratitude meditation can be incredibly powerful. There are free gratitude meditations you can look up on YouTube or if you have the Calm app, there are several guided gratitude meditations.
Host a Bible study and focus on gratitude for a quarter. How does the Bible talk about gratitude? What does God say about thankfulness? How can we live by His words today? Recognize and appreciate your blessings.
Share one thing with your partner each day something that you are thankful for that they’ve helped you with. This can be something as simple as thanking them for coffee in the morning to thanking them for taking on a project you have been wanting to complete but haven’t had the time to.
Focus on the four aspects of kindness: willingness, initiative, helpfulness, and gentleness. Bring this focus into your gratitude practice. Why? Because combing a gratitude mindset with kindness can help lead you to greater love and connection for not only your partner but for anyone else in your life.
Help others and give back. When we serve others we are not only providing a desperately needed service (volunteering, mentoring, financial support, humanitarian and mission trips, etc.) but we also may develop a strong gratitude mindset because service helps us to realize just how blessed we are.
Journal your answers to the following questions in regards to your partner, family, friends, and work associates: “What have I received from ____?”, “What have I given to ____?”, and “What troubles and difficulties have I caused?”
Observe and adjust your internal language and thoughts. How do you approach gratitude? How do you view others who practice and express gratitude? Are your thoughts more positive or negative when thinking about practicing gratitude?
Get creative in your gratitude. Look for new situations and circumstances to be grateful for.
The important thing to remember about gratitude is that you can practice it completely on your own. You don’t need to do this with your partner, but you can do it for yourself (and your relationship). Once you start incorporating a gratitude mindset, it positively affects all aspects of your life and relationship though!
If you are struggling with developing a gratitude mindset towards your partner, schedule a Discovery Call with me. Often, the first few steps are the hardest because we’ve fallen into complacency in our relationships and have stopped showing love, affection, appreciation, and gratitude for our partners. I encourage you to be brave enough to be first. Be first to say thank you, be first to be patient, be first to offer your support and help, and be brave enough to be first in showing your partner how grateful you are for them.
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Thumbnail Photo by Vince Fleming on Unsplash
