Live Healthily - Gratitude Journals, Mantras & Meditation

Our physical state is like a tangible printout of the synergy between our mental and emotional state. To a great extent, our lives are governed by our inner state of mind. If we could tap into the ‘backend’ of our minds and instill a mindset that supports wholesome living, we can live healthily. Three surefire ways to do this are  gratitude journaling, mantras & meditation. 
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By keeping a gratitude journal, speaking and living by positive mantras, and practicing meditation consistently, you can improve your mental health, influence every dimension of your life, and live happily. You have to make the change in your mind, your soul and your spirit- and your body will follow.

WHAT IS A GRATITUDE JOURNAL?
A gratitude journal is a simple tool used to record and keep track of the good things in life. No matter how difficult and frustrating life can get, there is always something to be grateful for. Translating gratitude from the heart into words on paper has a therapeutic effect on health. Research has shown that it helps lower stress leading to depression, and improve sleep and social relationships. Gratitude has also been closely associated with lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers related to cardiac health, thereby lowering the risk of heart disease. 
Keeping a gratitude list, be it daily or monthly, can help you cope with messy situations and give you hope to carry on living, knowing that challenges are only temporary, and we can choose to focus on our wins instead. Indeed, it can change your view of life; A 2018 study found that keeping a gratitude journal helped decrease materialism and increase generosity in adolescents. 

Learning to be thankful for the privilege and opportunities we enjoy can help build a positive mental attitude towards life. It works just like therapy… call it Gratitude Therapy. By helping you detach from negative and toxic emotions, gratitude allows you to channel your energy into more profitable ventures. 

Once you learn how to practice gratitude, you will find a lot of good things gravitate towards you. You can start practicing gratitude by using:

1. A journal: This makes use of a diary or note reserved strictly for taking record of the things in life we are grateful for. You can either record daily, weekly, or monthly. It doesn’t have to be a physical book; you can use a gratitude journal app for convenience and mobility.  
2. A visual mood board: If you love to interact with visual interfaces, you will enjoy gratitude mapping. You can place a beautiful gratitude board close to your bed or where you can easily spot it and make use of colorful sticker notes or cute smiley face stickers. 
3. A gratitude jar: Whenever you feel grateful for something or someone, you can write it down on a piece of paper and put it in a jar. Whenever you feel down, shake up the jar and pick out a paper, you will be reminded of beautiful things you were and still are grateful for.
   
4. Volunteering: When you volunteer to care for people in need of something you have, you will learn to be grateful for life and all you have. ​

WHAT ARE MANTRAS?
Mantras are words, phrases, or even sounds that are whispered, silently recited, or chanted during spiritual exercises such as yoga and meditation. They communicate a state of mind and elevate consciousness. Even though some mantras do not have literal meanings, they do have spiritual interpretations. Mantras are originally used in Buddhism and Hinduism because they are believed to be mystical, sacred, and spiritually efficacious. 
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At first, they might seem like words or phrases, but you will soon find yourself growing into them and taking up the words as an identity. Mantras help to create positive energy from within the soul and a deep sense of calm in the mind and body. When used in yoga or meditation, it helps to create a reverberation through the body and quiets down noisy thoughts. This makes it an important meditation tool for beginners. 

You can create mantras for different purposes like money, positivity, general wellness, or anxiety. Examples of mantras you can begin to live by:

1. Money flows to me with ease and grace  - Money
2. I make money easily. I am a money magnet - Money
3. This too shall pass - Anxiety
4. I am loved - Anxiety
5. Calm down - Anxiety
6. Thank you - Anxiety
7. Peace - Anxiety
8. I am undefeated - Positivity
9. It is done - Positivity
10. I am well - Wellness.

WHAT IS MEDITATION?
Meditation is a spiritual and mental exercise that involves awareness, focus, and deep relaxation. When meditating, you can observe your thoughts and emotions like passing clouds but resist dwelling on or judging them. With constant practice, you will grow mindful and conscious of the present and stop getting worried over challenges that may arise. 

It is natural for the mind to wander and multitask but what matters is how we respond to all the overwhelming thoughts and feelings. Meditation works to train the mind to live in the present rather than getting distracted by worries of the past or future. 

Many studies have found meditation to be incredibly helpful in lowering stress, increasing focus and clarity, creativity, and promoting gratitude and happiness. According to the American Heart Association, meditation helps to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. It also helps to build a better understanding of self. 

How To Practice Meditation:

• Sit or lie in a comfortable position. Make sure that you can’t be disturbed; you can play soothing music and light nicely scented candles.
• Close your eyes. Divert your attention to your breathing. Don’t try to control the pace or intensity. Just observe how air moves into your nostrils and how it goes back out. 
• Notice how your body moves with every inhalation and exhalation. You might feel heavy or like you are sinking into the bed. Enjoy the feeling and continue observing your chest, shoulders, rib cage, and belly. 
• It won’t be long before your mind begins to wander. Don’t dwell on the thoughts. Each time your mind wanders, tune out, and put your focus back on your breath. You can do this for 5-10 minutes to start and meditate for long hours as your mind becomes trained. ​​

Gratitude journaling, mantras & meditation are essential (and powerful) mind tools that can reshape our views about life and build our lives in the direction we want it to go. Even better, they are highly beneficial to overall health and wellness as they can increase life expectancy and happiness. You can start today to use these mental tools to improve the quality and longevity of your life. 

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Longevity Living, an aspirational lifestyle blog by Longevity Fitness Charleston, is your source for all things fitness, nutrition and wellness. Be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter for scroll-worthy articles, must-watch videos from our expert trainers, studio updates & more.