You know it’s a good idea—to make a list of what you’re grateful for—but you just don’t get around to actually doing it. So take the next five minutes and do it now.
1. Grab a pen and paper.
2. Start with your body and record what you’re most thankful for. You may list: Good health, good energy, flexibility, being able-bodied, strong hands and back, good hugger, great kisser, and so on.
3. Next, focus on your mind and what you’re most thankful for. You may list: Alert, witty, good sense of humor, friendly, approachable, attentive, conscientious, and so on.
4. Last, make a list of what you’re most grateful for in your life. You may list: Partner, friends, family, children, siblings, walking, camping, sports, making love, and so on.
Keep your written list on your fridge at home or tape it to your computer monitor at work as a reminder of what truly matters in your life.
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Excerpt from FIVE GOOD MINUTES IN YOUR BODY: 100 Mindful Practices to Help You Accept Yourself & Feel at Home in Your Body (New Harbinger Publications)
JEFFREY BRANTLEY, MD, is a consulting associate in the Duke Department of Psychiatry and the founder and director of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program at Duke University’s Center for Integrative Medicine. He is author of Calming Your Anxious Mind and coauthor of Five Good Minutes, Five Good Minutes in the Evening, Five Good Minutes at Work, and The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook. Dr. Brantley is founder and director of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program at Duke University’s Center for Integrative Medicine.
WENDY MILLSTINE, NC, is a freelance writer and certified holistic nutrition consultant who specializes in diet and stress reduction. She is coauthor of Five Good Minutes, Five Good Minutes in the Evening, and Five Good Minutes at Work.