15 Easy Gratitude Exercises for a Fulfilled Life

In life, we’re naturally wired to be negative. It’s part of our survival instinct that once kept us safe. However, in today’s world, this mindset can make it difficult to recognize and appreciate the good around us.

This is why gratitude isn’t always second nature. It’s something we have to work on intentionally. To truly shift our mindset toward positivity, we must actively practice gratitude and challenge negative thoughts.

This is where gratitude exercises and activities come in. By incorporating simple yet powerful practices into your daily routine, you can train your mind to focus on the good, cultivate a more positive outlook, and experience greater happiness and fulfillment.

Today, I’m sharing a collection of gratitude exercises and activities to help you make gratitude a habit in your life. There is something here for everyone – those who love to journal, walk, get creative and so much more.

The Benefits of Gratitude

There are so many amazing benefits of practicing gratitude and according to Positive Psychology these fit into 5 key categories:

1. Emotional – feel happier, improved psychological well-being, more positive emotions, improved self-esteem
2. Social – Makes us more likable, improved relationships, more social support
3. Personality – more optimistic, more giving, less materialistic, enhanced optimism
4. Career – Better managers, more patient, find more meaning in work, less work stress
5. Health – reduce depression symptoms, improved sleep, reduced blood pressure, better overall physical health

Personally for myself, I’ve found that practicing gratitude helps me feel more in control of my daily contentment and happiness. It helps me support myself when my depression symptoms worsen – but the key is that I truly must actively participate in being grateful.

I choose to seek out joy and gratitude for the simple things in life I am constantly reminded that there is so much to be grateful for – and it surrounds me every day.

Because I choose to have an attitude of gratitude, I can still see some good, even at the most challenging of times.

15 Exercises & Activities to Practice Gratitude

1. 30-Day Gratitude Challenge

To start I want to share my 30-day gratitude challenge which shares 30 small things you can do every day to bring more gratitude into your life. 

👉 Access the related blog post with all the details or simply sign up to get the challenge emailed straight to you… SIGN UP HERE!

2. Gratitude Walk

What I love about taking a gratitude walk is you can do it anytime – anywhere. Here are 4 different ways you can take one:

1. Use your 5 senses to focus on what’s around you to be grateful for
2. Think about certain people in your life
3. Look inward at your ability to walk – focus on your body from head to toe
4. Walk with a friend and practice gratitude as you walk

👉 Learn more here: What is a Gratitude Walk + 4 ways to take one

3. Daily 3 Things Journaling

You’ve most likely heard about people writing down 3 things every day that they are grateful for – and this is what the ‘3 things’ gratitude journaling is all about. However, there is one more element I think is important to include.

When you write down what you are grateful for, the next step is to follow that with why.

For example…

I am grateful for my morning coffee because it gives me a moment of peace before the day starts and helps me feel energized and ready to take on my tasks.

I am grateful for the laughter I shared with a friend today because it reminded me to enjoy the present moment and not take life too seriously.

I am grateful for the sunlight streaming through my window because it lifts my mood and reminds me to slow down and appreciate the beauty around me.

Providing thought into why truly allows you to experience and feel gratitude even more. So give it a try.

4. Gratitude Journal Prompts

Gratitude journal prompts are a powerful tool if you need a little more inspiration or help getting started with gratitude journaling.

You simply choose a writing prompt and start writing.

There are many resources out there with writing prompts for gratitude, and i’ll share with you two from myself 🙂

• 52 gratitude journal prompts to increase happiness (blog post)
• 52-Week Gratitude Journal (physical journal you can pick up on Amazon)

Both include the same prompts, and the journal you can purchase also includes cute coloring pages and quotes.

5. One Line a Day

What I love about a one-line-a-day journal is all you need to do is… write one line.

You may have heard about this journaling method before, but of course, because we’re discussing gratitude exercises today, your focus will be on writing something you’re grateful for – in one line.

It can be anything – an experience, a person, a physical thing, a memory, anything. 

6. Gratitude Meditation

If you are new to meditation I highly recommend following a guided gratitude meditation.

Here’s a 5-minute meditation you can try… I highly recommend doing this first thing in the morning or as part of your bedtime routine.

And once you’ve mastered that you can search for some longer gratitude meditations. 

7. Actively Express Gratitude

When we think of something we’re grateful for, this allows us to take a minute to appreciate it – however, to really delve into deeper gratitude I recommend actively engaging with the thing you’re grateful for.

For example, if you love having a backyard full of flowers, actively take time to appreciate it. This could mean having your morning coffee outside while tending to some plants.

Another example could be if you are grateful for your body and health, and engage in movement you enjoy, like stretching, dancing, or going for a walk to celebrate what your body can do.

The key here is to immerse yourself into the thing you are grateful for so you can make the most out of it.

8. Gratitude Jar

A gratitude jar is pretty straightforward. Simply find a large jar you can keep somewhere handy – somewhere you can easily access. Then keep a pen and some small pieces of paper beside it.

Whenever there is something you’re grateful for, write it down and put it in the jar.

A gratitude jar is perfect no matter who you are. If you have a family or live with a spouse, you can ask everyone in your home to add to the jar. And this works just as well is you’re single or live with anyone else.

Next, you can decide when to open the gratitude jar and read what you’re grateful for. 

You can do this…

• Once a year (new years is a fantastic time for this)
• When the jar is full
• If you need a pick me up and a reminder of all of the beautiful things you have in life

9. Mood Tracking

There are many reasons to begin mood tracking, but you’ve most likely never connected it to being grateful – let me explain…

You see, one of the main goals of tracking your mood is to capture your mood at specific times – either daily or a few times a day and also write down what you were doing during this time.

You want to make a connection between your activities and moods.

After tracking your mood for a short time, you soon see what things make you have a positive mood and the things that bring you down.

To connect this to being grateful there are two things you can do:

1. Look at everything that improved your mood and take the time to be grateful for that.
2. Understand your triggers to help identify areas of life that need working on. These are places you can then focus on looking after and healing. 

10. Practice Gratitude Affirmations

Gratitude affirmations are positive statements that you repeat regularly to stay positive. 

Using affirmations for gratitude can help you focus on positive thinking and push intrusive, negative thoughts away.

Here are some examples:

• My positive attitude has a powerful impact on others around me.
• Having an attitude of gratitude every day will help me live the life of my dreams.
• I will not allow past experiences to taint my appreciation for what I have today.
• I choose to focus on the positive, even when it feels challenging.
• I am grateful for the freedom to speak my mind and stand up for what I believe in.

You can write your own gratitude affirmations for the best results as they are personal to you and your needs. 

• Step 1: To help get you started check out this big list of gratitude affirmations. 
• Step 2: Select the affirmations that mean the most to you and write them in a journal.
• Step 3: Now you can write your own affirmations that you can refer back to.

12. Volunteer

When you take time to volunteer it allows you to see things from a different perspective – many times in someone else’s shoes. 

As a result, there may be things you take for granted that you never really thought about before – such as a fridge full of food, accessible healthcare, or support from your family.

There are so many different volunteering opportunities available either short-term or long-term, such as: 

• Volunteering at a food bank or shelter
• Becoming a big brother or sister
• Coaching a local sports team
• Walking dogs at an animal shelter
• Using your professional skills for a non-profit that needs help

13. Gratitude Board

Similar to a vision board you can put many types of mediums on your gratitude board – images, quotes, written notes, etc.

The difference is you are creating a board that reflects many different things that you are grateful for – both big and small.

This is a fun activity to do with kids – especially around Thanksgiving, but it is perfect for anyone who likes to get creative.

Here’s a cute example of an idea you can set up…

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14. Read Gratitude Quotes

Reading quotes is such a powerful way to practice gratitude. It allows you to find your own meaning in each quote and ally it to your life.

Here are some of my favorite gratitude quotes to inspire you…

“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” – Brené Brown

I love this one as it’s a good reminder that we have something to be grateful for right now, today.

“There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.” – Ralph H. Blum

Gratitude is most certainly a feeling and this quote describes it beautifully for me. Even the simplest of things can create simple joy and this is to be cherished.

“Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.” – Alphonse Karr

Gratitude is all about perspective. This is similar to being a person who sees things with a glass half full as opposed to a glass half empty.

The best part about this is you get to choose how you see the glass.

15. Gratitude Garden

If you love plants or gardening, this is the perfect gratitude activity.

You see, there’s a strong chance as a plant lover that you connect certain plants and flowers with people you love.

For example, I think of geraniums and daylilies for my grandfather. Chrysanthemums make me think of my husband and yellow begonias remind me of my mom.

I won’t get into the why – but as a plant lover, there are specific stories or memories that connect these flowers to my loved ones.

Step 1: Think of plants or flowers that remind you of a loved one. Make a list.

Step 2: Plant a garden or have these plants and flowers planted in various places around the outside of your house.

Tips to Make Gratitude a Habit

Consciously choose gratitude every single day

Commit to doing it at the same times every day such as in the morning, dinner or before bed. This will become more habitual over time.

Get Others Involved

The gratitude jar example that we discussed above is perfect for this. Also, if you choose to have a moment of gratitude at dinner every night everyone can go around the table and say what they are grateful for.

Focus on the little things – the simple things

It’s easy to be grateful for big things like getting that promotion or going on vacation, but it’s actually more important to be grateful for the little things you might take for granted.

Why? Because they are around you every day. And if you can be grateful for the small stuff you are creating more moments of gratitude in your daily life.

To do this all you simply need to do is take notice… your dog’s funny bark, the barista’s warm welcome, your stable job, the taste of your morning coffee, your loving partner – the list goes on and is different for everyone – but we all have SO MUCH to be grateful for.

So take notice.

Always ask yourself – ‘how can I be grateful for this moment?’

Training your mind to ask this question shifts your focus from what’s wrong to what’s right in your life. 

Even in difficult moments, there is often something to be grateful for – a lesson learned, an opportunity for growth, or even just the strength to keep going.

Embrace a growth mindset

Gratitude and a growth mindset go hand in hand. The key to having a growth mindset is seeing challenges as opportunities for learning and growth.

This allows you to find gratitude even in tough situations. 

It’s truly all about perspective. 

👉 Learn more about having a growth mindset here: 10 Examples of a Growth Mindset Vs. Fixed Mindset

Final Thoughts

Gratitude is a skill you develop over time. The more you practice, the easier it becomes.

But like any habit, it requires consistency. It’s not just about thinking grateful thoughts; it’s about engaging in daily actions that reinforce appreciation for life’s blessings, both big and small. Gratitude is something you actively choose to practice in life.

Having a sense of gratitude will allow you to see more beauty, joy, and abundance in your life. Start small, be consistent, and watch how gratitude transforms your mindset and overall well-being.

Over time, you’ll find that gratitude isn’t just something you practice—it becomes a way of life.

What’s your favorite way to practice gratitude?

Share in the comments section below!

More Gratitude Resources:

• 7 Ways To Appreciate The Little Things in Life
• 11 Meaningful Ways To Express Gratitude To Someone
• 15 Positive Ways To Focus on the Good Things in Life
• 52-Week Gratitude Journal