Recently, gratitude has become a bit of a buzzword because social media usually inundates us with messages to be more grateful for what we have and who we are. So if you’re rolling your eyes at yet another mention of the importance of practising gratitude, we get it. But for those eye-rollers out there, hear us out. We’d like to make it our mission to try to convince you why gratitude greatly serves you.

The first thing you need to know about gratitude is that if you’re in a bad mood, it’s challenging to feel grateful. This is because your bad mood and the feeling of gratitude are two opposite emotional states. That’s why trying to be grateful when you’re feeling pretty rotten can sometimes make you feel even worse! For this reason, practising gratitude is best done in the morning, because when you sleep, your mind stops the momentum of unhelpful thoughts so you can wake up with a clean slate.

So, now that we know when to practise gratitude let's explore how you can do it! And in the process, learn how to truly celebrate motherhood.

How do I practise gratitude and celebrate motherhood?

List your gratitudes. List ten things in your life that you’re grateful for. If you’re not feeling on top of the world, you may want to start by listing simple things that you’re grateful for such as your warm bed, your comfy pyjamas or being able to have a warm shower. Now keep going and notice how you feel as you list your ten gratitudes. Of course, list more if you’re on a roll!
Appreciate the people in your life. Make a list of everyone in your life and what you appreciate about them. Go through all your family, your friends – even the friendly person at the check out at the local supermarket! You may not have the best relationship with some of your family members (usually the in-laws!) but still do your best to find just one thing you appreciate about them. Be sincere. No sarcasm allowed!
Reflect on the last year. Look back at the last year and reflect on what you learned and the things you accomplished. Holding on to the knowledge that failures and successes are all part of living and evolving, look at the “fails” from last year with a bit of humour and see if you can identify why they needed to happen and what you learnt.
Celebrate! Now that you’re in thankful mode, let’s go one step even further. Let’s celebrate! Celebration supercharges positivity, which is why it feels so good when we celebrate. So why do we not celebrate ourselves more? Why do we not celebrate all of our successes, no matter how small? To get into a celebration mindset, think about what you’ve achieved and accomplished during motherhood and ask yourself what sticks out. When you celebrate even the tiny wins, you set off the happy chemicals in your brain which are contagious to others. When you’re happy and in the mode of celebration, it’s almost impossible for people around you not to be happy too!

Family gratitude challenge. This may sound a bit cheesy but it’s actually good fun and a really healthy practice! Every night at the dinner table, go around the table and say one thing that you’re grateful for. Share your gratitudes with the family, even if it’s just you and your partner (because the baby is still too young to participate).

Final thoughts

Life can get heavy and hectic sometimes, so committing to a daily gratitude practice can really help life to feel a lot lighter, and a lot more fun! The more grateful you are, the more you notice (and attract) things to be grateful for. We promise you, as the days go on you’ll feel a greater sense of joy in everything you do and experience.

Practising gratitude and celebrating motherhood

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