Finding Gratitude: The Three Good Things Practice
By Carolyn Smaka
Starting a gratitude practice is an easy tool that can help us navigate the new “normal” and learn to appreciate what we have rather than what we don’t have. Gratitude allows us to see a world bigger than ourselves.
Here’s a gratitude practice called Three Good Things that I’ve incorporated into my routine before I go to bed that takes less than five minutes. This practice can be modified to make it your own.
Think about the day and write down three good things
Before I go to bed, I reflect on my day and write down three good things from the day in a journal, on a sheet paper, or in my phone. They can be small things or big things. There are no rules of what makes it on the list on any given day. The key is to write the three good things down.
Reflect on the three good things
After I write my Three Good Things, I spend a minute thinking about them. Why did I choose these things? What is good about them? What people or things caused them to happen? Sometimes during this reflection, I feel a noticeable ease settle in my body. I may smile, reliving the good things that happened all over again in my mind. This short exercise helps me wind down, slows my thoughts, and end my day on a positive vibe.
To be honest, some days coming up with Three Good Things is easy for me, and on other days it’s difficult. On some days, my list is simple (11/17/19: heat, slippers, the joy of watching my dog sleep) and on other days it includes a major event (5/7/19: my father was released from the hospital). Whenever I go back and read through my list, I always feel hopeful.
Helpful Tips
Write it Down
Writing down your Good Things is important. In a small way, writing it down tells your brain to pay attention to them, moving them from being mere thoughts that come and go, to a permanent record for you to keep and come back to.
Work It into Your Routine
It’s important to remember creating a habit takes time. Incorporating this practice into your daily routine such bedtime or morning coffee, will help with creating a habit. If you do this practice a few times, soon you will have a running list of Good Things. Give it a try!
Honor Yourself
Honor all the actions you take to keep going during these challenging times.
Why It Works
There is a lot of scientific evidence on the benefits of gratitude. Neuroscience research indicates that being grateful can actually change our brains (here's a good article on the topic from UC Berkeley). Being grateful can help us reduce stress and anxiety, increase our resilience, help our bodies heal and stay healthy, and make us more helpful to others. And, studies show you can build gratitude through practices like Three Good Things.
Looking forward to the next time we are practicing yoga together in person! Wishing you health and peace.
Carolyn completed 200-hour yoga teacher training at Yoga Mechanics in 2014. She enjoys practicing yoga and guiding community classes in Newark and the surrounding communities. Through yoga, she hopes to empower others to tap into their vast inner strength and resources and to support their overall wellness. Off the mat, she is Editor in Chief at continued.com, an online continuing education company.
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