by Baylie Barnhill
Living with grief, we can often experience feelings of emptiness. One effective strategy to counter this is to practice gratitude. To cope with emptiness, it can be beneficial to acknowledge all of the love we hold in our hearts for our lives, our experiences, and the people, places, and things that surround us. Practicing gratitude is the act of taking time to individually recognize our thankfulness for both the tangible and intangible things that bring us joy. Practicing gratitude has been shown to increase life satisfaction, improve overall mental health, and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression (Diniz et al., 2023).
Look for the small things
Grieving can at times make it difficult for us to identify what brings us joy. If you are having trouble, start small! Gratitude can be found in the smallest things, such as a cozy blanket, a good song, or taking a deep breath. Whether we are thankful for something big or small, gratitude is not meant to minimize or invalidate our challenging experiences; instead, it gives us a small boost of hope when things are hard. When practicing gratitude, try not to tell yourself, “I have no reason to be hurting; look at all of the things I have to be grateful for!” Rather, look at it as “I am hurting, and it’s difficult, but I am going to try and find something small that makes me feel thankful to be here.”
Activities to grow gratitude
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Mindfulness: Close your eyes and take a moment to reflect on what you are grateful for, or look around and identify things you can see that make you feel thankful.
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Journaling: Write a list of who or what you feel thankful for. You can create a continuous list, a list at the end of each day, a list at the bottom of your diary entry, etc.
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Gratitude jar: Write what you are grateful for on a sticky note, fold it up, and place it in a jar as a visual reminder of the joy in your life. Rereading your notes over time can be comforting as well.