Guest Post: How & Why You Want to Adopt The Attitude of Gratitude!

Lizzy is the founder and chief Pillow Fighter at The Pillow Fort: a shop, magazine + blog to make chronic illness suck less. You can find Lizzy’s personal ramblings at @marchingstars or positivity in the face of chronic illness at @thepillowfortuk.

I asked Lizzy to do a guest post here today because I'm currently suffering the beginnings of a flare up of my chronic condition and not only do I not feel like taking photographs and writing, Lizzy knows too - and writes about it, makes impressive trinkets and magazines about it all in a positive way that doesn't reflect on the every day negativity that often these conditions can bring with them. The first issue of the magazine really stunned in me in that it wasn't just another informative magazine but written by women who suffer from various chronic and incapacitating conditions not only giving advice but sharing experiences about their lives that while their condition may factor into isn't the sole purpose of what they do. So while I'm recuperating today I'm going to leave you in the very capable hands of someone who knows a thing or two about positivity. Take it away, Liz!

Maybe you’ve heard whispers of the latest craze in the world of happiness and positivity... yup, this post is all about gratitude.

Now don’t go thinking this is some woo-woo hippy nonsense. This has real, hardcore scientific research behind it. Keeping a daily gratitude journal (which literally takes minutes) can increase your overall happiness by more than 10%, which is an equivalent increase to the effect of doubling your income! Gratitude doesn’t only improve our overall happiness though; various studies have also found it can help us: be healthier, be more optimistic, be more liked, have more energy, sleep better, feel more relaxed, be more resilient, be more productive, have deeper relationships, and much more. (For a comprehensive rundown of the benefits of gratitude go here). Right, ok, so you’ll give this a go?

Excellent.

Here’s a handful of ideas to get you going:

• Keep a daily gratitude journal. Before bed, write down 3-5 things you’re grateful for that day. 
• Actually smile as you think about what you’re grateful for. It feels weird at first, but your brain gets tricked into being happy when you smile. 
• Set a timer on your phone that pops up throughout the day to remind you to take check of what you’re grateful for. 
• Tell people when you’re grateful for them/something they’ve done. Everyone loves handwritten notes, but even just a short text or email will brighten both your days. Tweet or have a status every day with what you’re grateful for. People will admire your positive outlook and want to share in your happiness. 
• Really make a conscious effort to thank and be grateful for all the ‘trivial’ people in your life (the person who served you coffee, the person who replied to your customer service email, the postman, the supermarket cahier, etc). 
• Practice a little bit of mindfulness and really take time each day to just stop and be in the moment. 
• Start an instagram/pinterest/twitter challenge with your friends and post one thing you’re grateful for every day for a certain length of time. 
• Try to be grateful for things without needing to go for comparison (i.e. challenge yourself to not just think things like “I’m so grateful I have access to healthcare, so many people in the world don’t”)
• When good things happen in your life, take time to celebrate them and realise what a lucky person you are.