Realigning Your Gratitude

Set an alarm on the phone to go off three times /day. Use a soothing alarm.

2. When the alarm goes off, for five minutes, talk to the Lord in prayer and/or journal, about something you genuinely appreciate.(Some examples would be: babies, puppies, kittens, mountains, your salvation, etc). Try to choose things that bring you genuine joy and a smile, not just things you think you “should” appreciate. Talk to Him about all the details of what you appreciate about these things, or share them with a person.
3. Then find a minimum of 6-10 items that you always feel appreciation for, regardless of your circumstances, even if you’re having a bad day and cannot think of anything to appreciate. These will be your “always” gratitudes. Label these items with one to two words, like “Kittens” or “Babies.” It may help to find a picture of each, and store them on your desktop.
4. Three times a day, for 28 days, be grateful for 5 minutes each time. It helps to notice where you feel the appreciation in your body. It is also helpful to time your 5” sharing times.
5. You can return to one of these 10 labeled appreciation items, if you can’t think of something new to appreciate during each appreciation time. If you can think of new things, give them a one-word label as well. If you cannot, scroll through your “always” list of appreciated items and thank God out loud, or share your gratitude with someone nearby.
6. Write down the names of what you appreciated each day in a journal for each of your times, even if you don’t record the details, so you can go back to these times and remember or revisit them. Your journal may look something like this: Day One: 1) Babies 2) Kittens 3) Mountains. Day Two: 1) Sunsets, 2) My job, 3) My friend who called me. If you get stuck, ask the Lord to bring to mind something you really appreciate. He knows you better than anyone and is always quick to answer this prayer! Or simply return and repeat your first 6-10 items.
7. If you persist at this (and it can be difficult on some days), you will find yourself enjoying His presence more, just “being” and not “doing” so much. The entire rest/activity part of your nervous system in your attachment center will actually reset after 28 days.