Practicing gratitude is an easy, effective way to tap into your spirituality. It’s certainly a case for starting a gratitude journal. However, “most people [write a] gratitude journal at the end of the day,” says DeSteno. “That’s great, but that means you’re going to feel grateful for 20 minutes before you go to bed.”
Whereas, if you want your gratitude to influence your daily activities and interactions, you’ll want to incorporate it earlier in your routine.
He references a practice in Judaism called “Nisim B’chol Yom” (which translates to “miracles of the everyday”), in which people give thanks frequently during the day. “There are all these very brief blessings you can give for lots of things—a beautiful sunset, your health, a beautiful painting, a good night’s sleep, whatever it is,” DeSteno explains. “It makes you microdose gratitude throughout the day.”
He’s currently spearheading a study—which will likely publish later this year—to discover whether this “microdosing” approach is more effective than practicing gratitude right before you go to sleep. For now, he recommends focusing on gratitude throughout the day when those emotions can really influence you.
