You may find yourself some days literally crying over spilt milk. And we get that. When you’re tired, stressed, sleep-deprived or you’ve just fought with your partner, every little thing can feel like a big deal!

It can also be really easy in those moments to forget about the things we are grateful for. Some of you may already be on board with this popular practice and understand its benefits, while others may just hear the word gratitude and roll their eyes.

Whatever your opinion is on the matter, there is no denying the fact that when you feel the feeling of gratitude, life is better, easier and more manageable. Finding things to appreciate calms anxiety, focuses your thinking and helps you get perspective in a way that makes you less reactive. But we understand that it’s a hard task going from stress to gratitude so we encourage you to practise gratitude in your calmer moments.

Here are 3 simple steps to help bring more gratitude into your life.

Steps to bring more gratitude into your life:

Recognise when you’re in a negative mind loop. It’s so easy to get sucked into a vortex of negative thoughts that you may not even realise you’re having. The first step to figuring out what thoughts you’re thinking is by noticing how you feel. If you’re feeling cranky, anxious, irritated or angry, simply realise that it’s because you’re thinking thoughts of a negative nature. Noticing those thoughts is the first step towards changing them.

Look for things to appreciate. Looking for something to appreciate in times of struggle can be hard and may even have the reverse effect! Ideally, you want to practise gratitude when you’re not feeling so triggered. Start small - find gratitude for the coffee that you’ve just made, for the sun that comes up every day, for the singing bird outside. And then before you know it, you’ll be laughing with joy at your naughty toddler who usually causes you so much stress.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 as often as necessary. Step 2 is a practice that you can implement in every moment.

Another powerful resource that we can utilise to bring more peace, calm and joy to our lives is breathing. Conscious, intentional breathing is a quick, easy way to calm down your nervous system and bring ease into a stressful moment.

When we’re stressed, our breath becomes shallow and fast, which isn’t helpful. Slowing down your breathing will calm your nervous system and help you become more responsive instead of reactive. You don’t need to worry about being perfect. The idea is that you make your breath conscious, and as long as you’re doing some version of slowing down and deepening your breath, you’re doing it right!

Here are 3 simple steps to use your breath consciously:

Throughout the day take 3 deep, conscious breaths into your diaphragm. Repeat every hour.

If you’re tired and stressed, find a few minutes when you can take some deep breaths. You may need more than a few minutes, but just keep breathing until your body and mind feel calmer.

The key here is noticing. The more you can notice your breathing, the more present you become, and the more present you become, the more calm and grounded you will feel.

How to practice gratitude, and breathe

Unii helps you give yourself grace.