Ways To Practice Gratitude in Motherhood

When it comes being a mom, within all of the tasks, responsibilities, and thousands of things daily that need your motherly time and attention practicing gratitude isn’t usually one that ends up on the list. Let alone checked off the list daily. But taking the time to understand what it means to be grateful, as well as how to be grateful can have a huge impact on the mother you are to your children, and the wife you are to your husband. 

I know that within my own relationship with Brock, when I take the time to practice gratitude, we naturally find ways to connect more intimately and authentically. And just as importantly, in my relationship with my beautiful son, Ford, when I am in a state of gratitude, our bond grows deeper, and there are things I notice about what he’s learning, doing and seeing that I hadn’t even realized were happening. Being able to be in a space of gratefulness for everything around you, as Mom, can be the difference in consistently experiencing a state of love and creating time with your children that truly takes your breath away. 

But what is the meaning of grateful? Quite simply, it is to feel or show an appreciation of kindness, and to be thankful for it. Truly experiencing gratefulness will leave you with a feeling of connectedness to everything around you; especially when it comes to your children and loved ones. 

Today, I wanted to take some time and share a few ways that I practice gratitude that have helped me develop deeper and more meaningful bonds with both Ford and Brock. 

1. Wake up each morning, refreshed

You may be wondering what I mean by this. How is it possible to wake up refreshed when you’ve been up most of the night with a frustrated and crying baby? Or have had the most stressful week of your life and want to just crawl in a hole? These days happen, especially throughout the journey of motherhood, but it’s important to start each day anew. Before I even get out of bed, I take a moment to just express how grateful I am to have woken up, and the opportunity that is ahead of me to live and love. Every day we wake up is a new one, if you start your day in a space of love and gratitude, you will soon discover that you’re experiencing your family in technicolor. This kind of approach to start your day will not only leave you feeling refreshed, but also create a space for you to remain positive throughout whatever life may decide to throw at you that day. 

2. Keep a gratitude journal

I have talked about this before, even did a whole blog post about it, and that’s because I have found that keeping journal and making time to write in it every day is one of the best ways to learn how to be grateful. It is a great and effective way to change the way in which we perceive everything and every one around us. I even find that when I am writing in my gratitude journal, I’m remember something that Ford did or discovered that I had previously missed because I was distracted by something else. But when I am in the process of practicing gratitude, I discover that I didn’t actually miss it, it just wasn’t in my present awareness at the time; as if my subconscious was witness to it and the only way that I could be too is to be writing it down in my journal. Practicing gratitude through the use of a journal is a great way to experience and notice new things. 

3. Laugh, as much as you can

Finding laughter in even the most stressful times is a great way to live and be grateful at the same time. A great way to discover more laughter in your life, is to give yourself permission to just have fun. Having fun with your children brings so much joy into your life. It’s almost impossible to not be grateful for being a mom if you’re in a state of joy. Go outside and roll around in the grass, or chase you child around the home and listen to them howl with laughter. Babies’ laughs are intoxicating. 

There are so many other ways to practice gratitude in motherhood. I could probably write an entire series on all the ways that I find gratitude in my journey with Ford. What are some ways that you have found allow you to practice gratitude as a Mom and what is the meaning of grateful to you?