6 Ways to Practice Gratitude When You're Feeling Depressed

Gratitude is both a feeling and a gesture. It’s an acknowledgment and appreciation for something that’s enriched your life.

It isn’t always easy to express gratitude, and sometimes it might take some searching for you to find a reason to feel grateful.

Even when you’re feeling depressed, it’s possible to practice gratitude with some simple tips.

1. You don’t have to feel it to do it

If you wait to feel gratitude while experiencing depression, you might never actively practice it.

The good news is, according to Kevin Coleman, a marriage and family therapist from Columbia, South Carolina, you don’t have to feel it to do it.

“Practicing gratitude when you’re feeling depressed can feel robotic or like you don’t really mean it, and that’s okay,” he says. “These times are actually the most important times to practice gratitude because you’re intentionally focusing your thoughts on helpful things, which will help bring you out of that depression.”

2. Attaching motivation

Coleman adds that expressing gratitude doesn’t mean you’re being complacent or apathetic toward challenges in your life.

If you’re concerned expressing gratitude will keep you stuck in unhelpful habits, attaching gratitude to motivation can help.

For example, saying, “I have a headache, but I’m grateful to coping techniques that can help me manage and relieve my symptoms,” allows you to express gratitude and see progress toward an overarching goal.

3. Starting small

Knowing how to be grateful when you feel depressed doesn’t have to come in through big gestures.

“Start small,” advises Dr. Cristina Louk, a humanistic psychotherapist from Monroe, Washington. “You don’t have to do a grand gesture of gratitude to reap the benefits of experiencing gratitude.”

She says, “All it takes is that one first step. You can do that now with me by finishing the sentence, ‘Today, I am grateful for…’ If that felt good, do it again.”

4. The gratitude letter

Writing can be a powerful tool for expressing emotions and clarifying thoughts. When you want to discover or express gratitude, writing a letter may help.

“One of the most well-researched ways of expressing gratitude is through a gratitude letter,” says  Dr. Carly Hunt, a counseling psychologist and researcher at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. “The holiday season may be a perfect time to do this. Write a letter to someone you’re grateful to, and deliver it to them.”

If you’re not ready to have your thoughts read by others, you may consider writing your letter or reasons for gratitude down in a journal instead.

5. Being creative

Consider saying “thank you” when you aren’t feeling it may feel disingenuous. If you aren’t comfortable saying “thank you” at the moment, you can find other ways to express your gratitude.

“In this case, get a card, flowers, or swing by their favorite coffee shop and order their favorite, or write a handwritten note,” suggests Anita Astley, a licensed marriage and family therapist from Clifton Park, New York.

6. Focusing on the present moment

Being present in the moment, also known as mindfulness, can help you look at the details around you; the small things you might not have noticed, you have to be grateful for.

At any given moment, you might be experiencing the warmth of a home, a meal of quality food, fresh air, and sunshine, or clean drinking water.

These are all things that are often taken for granted because they’re always present, but they’re still things to be grateful for.