7 Mindful Gratitude Activities For Adults – A Journey To Abundance

Happy Tuesday warrior! Today we are looking at 7 gratitude activities for adults that all have the potential to bring radical transformation and abundance into your life. Prepare yourself for more joy, bliss, and happiness. Your journey to abundance starts right here.

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Have you come across the term intentional living?

Intentional living is a lifestyle approach that asks you to make purposeful and conscious decisions and take actions that are aligned with your personal core values, priorities, and life goals.

The concept of intentional living is all about using your time consciously to create a life with deep purpose and meaning for yourself. And one of the key pillars of intentional living is practicing gratitude.

In this blog post, I will be sharing 7 mindful gratitude activities for adults. I am super excited about this blog post as starting a regular gratitude practice has completely transformed my life. I will share more about this later on.

And no, these gratitude activities for adults won’t take too much time out of your day and can easily be implemented into your daily routines.

But before we dive into the gratitude activities for adults below, let’s take a step back and look at what gratitude is and the benefits of practicing gratitude in general.

What is gratitude?

a strong feeling of appreciation to someone or something for what the person has done to help you (…)

– Cambridge Dictionary

Gratitude is a positive emotion, filled with appreciation and thankfulness for something you have received.

It’s a way of connecting with your heart and taking a conscious approach to life as it is about taking the time to appreciate and recognize when something good happens to you in your life.

The benefits of practicing gratitude

Practicing gratitude can have a lot of benefits on your physical as well as mental well-being.

See a few benefits of practicing gratitude below:

• Improved mental health – gratitude can boost your inner joy and happiness which in turn can help to reduce stress levels, ease depression as well as anxiety
• Better emotional well-being – practicing gratitude is a mindset shift, moving your mind to focus on all the beautiful things you already have in your life, and when you keep your focus on the positive things, you create more inner joy and happiness from within aka a strong foundation for your life
• Improved physical health – Practicing gratitude can e.g. improve your sleep quality
• Increased self-esteem – keeping your focus on the good things can help to boost your self-esteem and self-worth
• Be more present – practicing gratitude encourages you to be more mindful and present in your daily life
• …

We are all different and the benefits of practicing gratitude are likely to show differently for everyone who starts a regular gratitude practice.

Looking at my own personal growth journey, I can tell you that starting a regular gratitude practice has radically transformed my life. I feel happier and much more content from within, I do live more in the present moment, which makes life feel richer and more purposeful. But the biggest impact was how practicing gratitude helped me to ease my depression and anxiety.

These are just a few benefits of practicing gratitude and if you would like to dive deeper into the benefits of practicing gratitude, you can do this here.

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7 Gratitude activities for adults

Below I outlined 7 gratitude activities for adults. Have a look, try the gratitude activities for adults that resonate most with you, and take it from there. The magic will follow…

Gratitude activities for adults #1: Start a gratitude journal

This is probably the most common version and you might have come across this one already. But let’s take a closer look at starting a gratitude journal.

A gratitude journal is similar to a personal diary and what you do is you regularly (daily, weekly, monthly, this is totally up to you) write down things/events/people, etc. that you are grateful for.

For example, every evening before you go to bed, write down three things you are grateful for.

“Today I am grateful for…“

Be precise and to the point when writing down the things you are grateful for. What/who are you grateful for? Why are you grateful? How did that person/situation make you feel? Etc.

In case you struggle to get started, below are a few gratitude journal prompts for your inspiration.

Gratitude journal prompts

• Write down three things that you love about yourself.
• What is the best thing that happened to you today?
• What/who makes your days better?
• List the people that have positively impacted your life. Why have they impacted your life and how?
• Think of something that you have in your life today that you did not have a year ago.
• What changes have you made in your life that you are happy about?
• What is something you are grateful for that you let go of?
• Are there any mistakes you have made you are grateful for today?

If you would like to dive deeper into starting a gratitude journal, head over to my blog post How to Start a Gratitude Journal and 44 Daily Gratitude Journal Prompts – Unlock your Inner Joy. This will give you all the tips and tricks to help you get started. Enjoy.

Gratitude journal examples

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE stationary. Hence I thought I would share my favorite gratitude journals with you. Hopefully, you will love them as much as I do 🖤.

ECCOLO WORLD TRAVELER DESK SIZE HARDCOVER JOURNAL

SETTINI HARDCOVER JOURNAL NOTEBOOK

EXCLUSIVE WRITING JOURNAL – HANDMADE IN ITALY

Gratitude activities for adults #2: Start a gratitude jar

A gratitude jar is a jar or container that you place somewhere in your home like for example in the kitchen and every time you experience something that fills your heart with gratitude, you write it down on a piece of paper, fold the piece of paper and put it into the jar/container.

For example, happy memories, goals that you have achieved along the way, acts of kindness that touched your heart, maybe lessons that you have learned along your personal growth journey, write them down and put them in the jar.

And whenever you have a bad day or feel a bit down, make yourself a nice fluffy coffee, sit down, read your notes in your gratitude jar, and let the feeling of gratitude brighten up your heart and your day.

Tip: You can also make this a family gratitude jar and everyone collects moments of gratitude over a certain amount of time in this jar and towards the end of the year e.g. Christmas or New Year’s, come together for a family dinner, read the notes from the gratitude jar and share these moments of gratitude with each other.

How to make a gratitude jar

All you need to make a gratitude jar is a glass jar, some small pieces of colored paper, colored pens, and a few decorative items that you can use to dress up your jar and make it look pretty and unique.

If you are serious about starting a gratitude jar, make sure to check out this video for further DIY instructions and creative inspiration. Happy crafting.

Gratitude activities for adults #3: Spent time in nature

Let’s go for a gratitude walk…

Put your walking shoes on and head out for a nice long gratitude walk in the forest, along the seaside, in the park, etc. wherever your heart takes you.

A gratitude walk is a mindfulness practice that combines walking, physical movement/exercise, and a deep appreciation for the world around you.

The key to a gratitude walk is to be fully present in the moment and appreciate nature’s beauty with all your senses.

• see – all the different colors of the flowers, leaves, the sky, etc.
• hear – the rustling of the leaves, the birds, the wind, etc.
• smell – the grass, the earth, flowers, the wood, etc.
• feel – the sunlight on your skin, hug a tree, feel the leaves of a tree, etc.
• taste – sit down for a small break, have a coffee, a few snacks surrounded by mother nature, etc.

Mother nature is magical, calming, and grounding at the same time. Activate all your senses, be in the moment, and embrace the abundance of the beauty that surrounds you.

Gratitude activities for adults #4: Share the love with a random act of kindness

‘What goes around comes around…’

Share the love and practice gratitude by doing a random act of kindness.

Do a selfless gesture to brighten up someone else’s day. For example: smile at a stranger, hold the door or elevator for another person, give someone a compliment, pay the coffee for the person behind you at Starbucks, do community work, etc.

There are many ways to do these random acts of kindness, simply let your heart guide you.

The magic about these random acts of kindness is that you can do them anytime you feel like it. They do not require a specific reason, neither do they imply any expectations.

They come directly from the heart and go directly to the heart. In addition to this, they have a positive impact on both, the giver and recipient.

Gratitude activities for adults #5: Morning affirmations

Morning affirmations are another great way to practice gratitude daily. 

You can do your morning affirmations in bed, maybe over a coffee or whenever they fit best in your morning routine.

By starting your day with gratitude you set the tone for an optimistic and positive day filled with happiness and joy.

Morning affirmation examples

• I acknowledge the abundance that surrounds me and flows into my life every day.
• I appreciate the simple joys that each day brings to me.
• I am grateful for the lessons I’ve learned from both challenges and successes.
• I appreciate the kindness and generosity of others in my life.
• I am grateful for the health and well-being of myself and my loved ones.
• I am grateful for the gift of life and the chance to make a positive impact on the world.
• Etc.

Morning affirmations are personal, make sure to tailor your morning affirmations to align with your own experiences and feelings of gratitude.

The more meaning these affirmations have for yourself, the more powerful they will be.

Gratitude activities for adults #6: Speak your gratitude out loud

Express your gratitude verbally to the people around you. 

Thank the people around you for their support, thank them for being in your life, thank them for having a positive impact on your life, etc.

Whatever it is that made you feel grateful say it out loud.

Acknowledging efforts of kindness creates a sense of connection and trust between two people which can lead to improved communication and strengthen the relationship overall.

Apart from that verbalizing your gratitude can also have a positive impact on your own well-being as it reinforces positive feelings, like joy, bliss, and happiness within you.

And last but certainly not least, if you start to spread the love, it encourages the people around you to do the same.

More love, more happiness. More happiness, better life.

Gratitude activities for adults #7: Gratitude meditation

Find a quiet corner in your home and come to a comfortable seat.

Take a few deep inhales and exhales in and out through the nose helping you to ground yourself, become present, and connect with your heart.

Sit quietly and start to reflect on all the things you are grateful for: Think about the people you are grateful for, your health, your job, your goals, your dreams, your community, etc.

Allow the feeling of gratitude to settle in your heart and sit with this feeling for a little bit longer in your meditation.

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These are all 7 gratitude activities for adults that I was looking forward to sharing with you.

As mentioned earlier, feel free to try out different gratitude activities for adults and then pick the one that resonates most with you and start to incorporate it into your daily routine.

How to make your gratitude practice more successful

Below are a few tips to help you make your gratitude practice more successful and to turn your gratitude practice into a new regular healthy habit of yours.

Before you start your gratitude practice…

Breathe

Your breath is a wonderful tool to help ground yourself and bring you into the present moment.

Close your eyes, take a few deep inhales, and exhales in and out of your nose.

With each inhale fill up your lungs and your belly with oxygen and with your exhale, relax your shoulders and release any tension you might be holding in your body.

Do this 3 – 4 times. With each exhale release and let go a little bit more.

Notice how your nervous system relaxes more and more with each cycle of breath.

Connect with your heart

As you find stillness inside, connect with your heart and invite your heart to open up to gratitude and abundance.

Terminology

Be aware of the words that you are using when you practice gratitude.

Connect with grateful words such as ‘gifts’, ‘blessing’, ‘grace’, ‘bliss’, ‘joy’, abundance, etc.

Be consistent

As with everything in life, consistency is key.

To turn your gratitude practice into a daily gratitude practice, I highly recommend including your gratitude practice in either your morning routine or your evening routine.

Routines support us in achieving our life goals and making things happen and if you already have an established routine, you have the perfect framework to set yourself up for success.

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Which of the 7 gratitude activities for adults resonated most with you? If you feel like sharing, please leave me a comment below, I would love to hear from you.

My favorite one out of the 7 gratitude activities for adults is the gratitude meditation. I incorporated the gratitude meditation into my morning routine. But I also have a gratitude journal. Sometimes it is good to write things down as when you write things down, you manifest them in this 3D experience.

Other resources I think you might enjoy:

• 44 Daily Gratitude Journal Prompts – Unlock your Inner Joy
• Ignite Your Inner Glow: 7 Tips on How to Cultivate Self-Love
• 3 Empowering Shadow Work Exercises for Beginners – From Dark to Light

Love & Light.

Stay wild,

Nicolle

Featured Image by Erriko Boccia on Unsplash