5 Easy and Effective Ways to Practice Gratitude

Grateful for Love in My Life

The Oxford Dictionary defines gratitude as the quality of being thankful, and readiness to show appreciation for and return kindness.

Post Updated 5/28/2025

 

This post will show you 5 easy and effective ways to practice gratitude, and illustrates  "Top Reasons to Practice Gratitude with Tips to Help You Do It."

5 Easy and Effective Ways to Practice Gratitude

 1. Observe and Revise Words you Use to Communicate. Grateful people have a positive communication style. They freely express ideas and feelings to convey awareness of life’s gifts, givers, blessings, good fortune, abundance, and verbalize their thankfulness often.

2. Grateful people acknowledge inherently good things others have done on their behalf. Feeling grateful and accepting and appreciating help from others creates a more relaxed body state and allows the subsequent benefits of lowered stress to wash over them. 

Tip: Check in with your mind and body at least once a day to gauge whether practicing gratitude increases your sense of well-being.

3. Grateful people act accordingly. When people follow through on grateful motions including smiling, saying thank you, and writing letters of gratitude or “going through grateful motions,” parts of their minds and bodies get conditioned to feel gratitude more often.

Grateful for Friends and Family

4. Grateful people live and delight in the current moment. When people savor the present moment and witness what it holds, they are less likely to project into the unknown (future) or dwell on the past.

5. Grateful people are those who find value in each experience, person, or thing (not take anyone or anything for granted). 

Finding a lesson or blessing in everything that happens, is a step in the right direction to feeling grateful and satisfied with daily living.

The regions of the brain associated with gratitude, are those parts of the neural network that lights up when people socialize and experience pleasure. These regions are also heavily connected to the parts of the brain that control basic emotion regulation, such as heart rate and arousal levels.

One of my most treasured life goals is to have relationships that bring out the best in us. I seek friendships with people who are kind and respectful people. I have learned to practice healthy behaviors that are relaxed, encourage personal growth, and stimulates a sense of gratitude and joy.

What steps have you taken or want to take to live a more grateful life? Please share a comment or observation in the section below.

Have you made strides in improving your self-care practices and/or do you need motivation, encouragement, or support in this area? Please share that too.

I read and appreciate every comment, but please don't put links in your comment. I won't be able to publish it that way.

Grateful for the Bounty in Each Season

Wishing those who celebrate Thanksgiving or other holidays or special days this month a Happy and Healthy holiday. Good wishes and thanks to all who read this post. I'm grateful you visited and invite you to please come back again. My wish for everyone is to ...

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Summer Fun Activity Checklist to do at home

Come along with me as I share a summer fun activity checklist, wellness ideas, and tasty fun food recipes. Any of them can brighten the day, no matter the season or where you live. 

Post updated 6/5/2023

Most of the checklist items can be completed solo. Others can be done with a buddy or partner, and some will appeal to a brood of kids or grandkids. All are inexpensive or free, and need no fancy equipment.

This list works well for me, as I love puttering around my home and look for ways to relax, kick back, and enjoy a simple life.

Look at the checklist to see which ones interest you. I’m sure many of these pastimes will put a smile on your face, and be appreciated by your mates as well.

Summer Fun Activity Checklist to do at Home

Joy springs from within. Tap into it, as you sample these activities. Several use power from color energy to help raise your vibration (tips on ways to raise your vibration was written by Alexandra Panait. It appeared on Thrive Global, and improves your outlook.

1.    Celebrate the first day of summer with one of these

 five beautiful rituals to celebrate Summer Solstice from Chloe Rain at Explore Deeply

2. Set up a hummingbird feeder and see this amazing bird in action

  

3. Chalk sidewalk with awesome doodles and drawings

4. Display plants, greens, and flowers to boost happiness

5. Enjoy an in-home spa day and pamper yourself

  

6. Lighten up décor with accent pieces of sea blue and additional

   colors of nature

7. Add a coat of whitewash onto a picnic table or Chaise
 lounge to revive outdoor furniture and perk up surroundings

8. Blow soapsuds bubbles

9. Splash in rain shower puddles

10. Bike ride, while social distancing from others

11. Create a summer sanctuary and cozy up with a book

12. Read, paint, practice yoga, or compose a tune, story, or poem

13. Play tag, hopscotch, or other favorite childhood games

14. Look for fireflies at night, and see their glow

15. Learn how to breathe in health with Emma Seppälä, as she demonstrates ways mindful breathing encourages happiness

16. Nap in a hammock

17. Run under a sprinkler or take a dip in a backyard pool

18. Sleep with the windows open

19. Get creative and craft a kite, pinwheel, or vision board

20. Feast on plant-based tacos for Taco Tuesday. See recipe and photos at Dora's Table. She creates Mexican zucchini squash tacos that are easy, delicious, and fun to eat

Photo Dora L. Stone

21. Fix mouthwatering avocado basil gazpacho. Recipe by Judee Algazi. Serve this quick chilled soup with crusty bread, a refreshing one dish lunch or dinner for those sweltering summer days it's to hot to cook.

Photo Judee Algazi

22. Plant basil, parsley, and thyme to raise a mini herb garden

23. Spread a blanket outdoors, and gaze at a starry indigo sky

☆☆☆☆☆☆

Additional Ideas from Colors 4 Health

Budget Friendly Activities to Inspire Joy 

Wear Your Colors to Feel Great About Yourself

Recipe for Colorful Tasty Tucson Tacos

Pick and choose from my Summer Fun Activity Checklist above. Which ones interest you? 

Each one can improve your sense of well-being. 

Please comment below and re-share on social media with a link-back to this post.

Which ideas and pastimes motivate you to make plans to do them? 

Which pursuits are included in summer fun activities already? 

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

I love to hear from you, and read every comment.

Refrain from putting links in your comments please. I won't be able to publish them that way.

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Improve Health Spend Quality Time in Nature

Research indicates spending 120 minutes a week outdoors engaged in physical activities improves health and overall well-being. It may include 2 half-hour brisk walks, meditative moments noticing the landscape and its inhabitants, and playing a sport, game, or participating in a physical activity with family or friends. Riding bikes, picnicking, or tending a community garden each week are just a few leisure time activities that encourage optimal health and happiness.

 

This post has been updated 5/28/25

A simple, refreshing way to take in the good vibes of the great outdoors is with a one minute grounding meditation. This one is from Mindful.org, and was written by Cara Bradley, who also is in a video that goes along with it. 

Want to absorb the refreshing energy of nature? Use your imagination to see the colors of nature. Then, look at the collage below. 

Envision a place you've visited or want to see that's serene, tranquil, or ablaze with brightly colored plants, trees, and shrubs. 

Green energy creates balance, harmony, self-compassion, and rejuvenation. Read Use Energy from Green to Refresh You and Your Home.

Gold, rust, amber, scarlet, and browns of autumn leaves and soil remind us of transitions. These colors provide grounding energy and connection to Mother Earth. Get suggestions for outdoor activities that are fun for the whole family here.

If you prefer, dream about a place where there's a broad expanse of sea, sand, and sky or picture it in your mind's eye.

Aquamarine and the green blue colors of a waterfall, ocean, lakes, or stream are colors that create a sense of expansiveness and tranquility. Sea blues of azure and sapphire remind our body and intuition to  "go with the flow." This energy shift helps reduce tension and attachment to outcomes.

It's surprising how many ways nature impacts well-being. It reduces stress, anger, fear, physical aches, and emotional pain including depression or anxiety. 

Notice how easily natural surroundings awaken awe and wonder in you. 

A large-scale nature engagement study conducted by the Wildlife Trust in the UK showed its participants, over a 30 day span, took greater notice of nature's beauty, their own physiological and emotional responses to nature, and felt an interconnectedness to their surroundings that led to improved happiness, health, and conservation behaviors.

Use your senses to tune into the sights, sounds, aromas, textures, and pace of nature. When you bring mindfulness to the time you spend in nature, it reduces stress, heals, and renews enthusiasm in you. 

When you take a break in nature, it shifts your perspective. Getting outdoors away from screens and other electronic devices, helps you relax. 

You'll notice down time helps you feel refreshed and improves your ability to concentrate, once you resume your work.

In fact, one recent study conducted at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston shows women may live longer in green environments.

Make time to get outside for even a few minutes a day. Enjoy relaxing or exercising outdoors, get a healthy dose of sunlight for Vitamin D, and give thanks for this inexpensive, fun way to enrich daily living.

Please comment below. 😊 I read and appreciate each one, but will not publish comments when they contain links. Thanks for understanding. 💗

What outdoor activities do you enjoy participating in and why?

Do you feel physically, mentally, and spiritually uplifted when you see a sunset, sunrise, the first snow, a deer in the woods, or a majestic mountain? Explain. What natural wonder makes your heart sing?

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Plant-based Food Tips to Make Life Healthy and Lively

Evidence is mounting that people who follow a whole food plant-based eating plan (WFPB), enhance their mental and physical health.

One of the most comprehensive controlled trials of diet and mood finds a plant-based nutrition program in a workplace setting across ten corporate sites significantly improves depression, anxiety, and productivity. 

Post updated 7/9/2021

The quote below is part of a Nutritional Update for Physicians: Plant-Based Diets. It appears at the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health Website (NIH) from the Permanente Journal.

“The major benefits for patients who decide to start a plant-based diet are the possibility of reducing the number of medications they take to treat a variety of chronic conditions, lower body weight, decreased risk of cancer, and a reduction in their risk of death from ischemic heart disease.”

Perhaps your motives for change are one or more of the following:

You want to have more stamina

You struggle to manage your weight

You notice emotional eating is an issue for you, especially when you feel stressed, anxious, or bored

You'd like to feel more relaxed as you eat, instead of eating on the run

You want to learn how to prepare vegan food

You aim to keep food costs within your budget

You choose to be compassionate to animals

You understand whole food plant based eating uses less natural resources than those used to raise animals for food  

Consider the plant-based food tips below. Try each on for size. Then observe how each contributes to your healthy, lively life.

Don't wait for a special occasion. Eat plant-based foods today  A simple way to start is to take one step at a time

Put the whole spectrum of colors into your shopping cart

Prep a few days' worth of veggies, fruits, whole grains, and brown bag lunches. Planning ahead saves time and helps prevent impulse eating

Eat a wide array of cooked and raw veggies, as variety helps cover all your nutrient requirements and a rainbow of colors adds fun to eating

Learn why it's key to get your orange and yellow on

Surf the Web, bookstores, and library for WFPB recipes. See what I found? Vegan Stuffed Zucchini Boats from Judee Algazi at Gluten Free A-Z Blog is delicious, nutritious, and simple to prepare

Snack on in-season local, organic color-rich fruits including these 6 Colorful Summer Fruit Superstars

Shop for the freshest, most vibrantly colored produce and whole grains at farmer’s markets, health food stores, food co-ops, or a nearby market

Grow your own fruits and veggies. Connect with earth energy and become more self sustainable and environmentally friendly

Take it slow by experimenting by adding one new plant-based ingredient a week 

Step it up a notch and replace some of the animal protein in traditional dishes for plant-based kinds including beans, lentils, and green leafy veggies 

Be daring and substitute plant-based protein for animal protein in more and more meals

Add fruit and a small handful of nuts and seeds to oatmeal and other cereals

Find an unsweetened variety of nut milk you enjoy, and drink it instead of cow's milk

Substitute unsweetened applesauce or a banana in cake recipes that call for a lot of sugar or oil

Assemble salads and serve them as one dish meals. Whole food plant-based entrée salads satisfy hunger, fuel your body so it can work at peak efficiency, and aid digestion and elimination

Say nix to the toppings on most conventional salads including bacon, cheese, eggs, and fat laden salad dressings. This will eliminate cholesterol and is good for heart health 

Want to enhance the taste of whole grain pasta, steamed veggies, or casseroles? Watch the video and bookmark Oil Free Pesto at Lori Clark Fitness, an excellent site for healthy lifestyle information

Basil and Spinach are Rich in Flavor and Phytonutrients

          Make beans a staple of your food plan

Mix it up and serve one or more portions of black, pinto, garbanzo, kidney, cannellini, great northern, adjuki, lima, mung, and fava beans each day 

Cook up a big pot of veggie chili, black bean soup, or other type of bean or legume. Freeze some, and use the rest to add to soups, salads, and wraps you eat during the week

Switch from white to brown rice, white to whole grain bread, and processed to unprocessed foods

Discover why beets and beet greens are tops.

Reap health rewards by eating organic soy products.  Here's prep and serving ideas for tofu and tempeh

Eliminate processed salad dressings, and mix up your own. One example is a high protein oil free recipe for nonfat bean dressing

Savor split green or yellow pea soup, lentils, and peanuts for good taste and high protein

Reduce inflammation by eating  broccoli and avocado. Learn new ways to include green-colored fruits and veggies in daily meal planning

Eat whole grain plant-based breads, cereals, and cake, instead of grabbing those that are sugary, salty, and highly processed

Educate yourself and consider this advice from Michael Greger MD. Not all plant-based foods are equal

Take time to shop and read labels, discover awesome reasons for cooking meals at home, and eat whole foods that are colorful and seasoned well

Appreciate the effort and time you take to use whole food plant-based ingredients

Take credit for sustaining your momentum and serving WFPB foods for  breakfast, lunch, and dinner 

Be selective about dining out, and patronize establishments that offer cooked from scratch meals that are good for your health

One fine example is The Tasteful Kitchen in Tucson, AZ. Chef Sigrid and Host Keanne Serve Delightful Vegan Fare

Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowl with black beans, fajita veg, fresh cabbage, and avocado crema from The Tasteful Kitchen

Make the most of Mother Nature’s bounty, and select and prepare foods that get their vibrancy the natural way. 

Generate more eye and taste appeal and increase nutrient count as well, by including at least 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies each day.

Be your own health advocate, and assure that in addition to fruits and vegetables, you get an adequate amount of whole grains, legumes, and beans. 

Flavor foods with interesting herbs and spices, and a small amount of nuts and seeds each day. Make WFPB eating the foundation and mainstay of meals. 

Remember, your food and lifestyle choices play a big role in making your life more healthy and lively.

What steps have you taken or want to take to improve your eating plan?

This is also an opportunity to brag. What food successes have you experienced recently? 

Before you go, take a moment to comment (please don't put links in your comments or the comment won't be published). 

Please sign up for the Colors 4 Health Wellness News and receive tips to help you enjoy a healthier lifestyle. 

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