Starting a Gratitude Practice: Why and How

Let's get real.

Being an entrepreneur teacher can be a breeding ground for chronic stress. 

When stress becomes overwhelming, it's harder to slow down, remember to take care of yourself, organize your work and/or life, or prevent emotional spiraling. This is why it's critical to manage chronic stress proactively.

A gratitude practice is one of the most helpful and essential ways to manage stress.

But what is gratitude, exactly? Is it a thought? A feeling? A virtue?

How does it relate to stress management, and how can it support your life and teacher business?

I cover all of this and more in this gratitude deep dive. I'll discuss:

• What gratitude is
• Why it's important
• How it can specifically help teacherpreneurs and its relationship to stress management
• How to practice gratitude
• The gratitude journal
• Gratitude examples you can use to support your business

The Definition of Gratitude, According to Psychologists

Gratitude can generally be defined as the "quality of being thankful and readiness to show appreciation for kindness." This straightforward definition resembles how most people define gratitude. However, psychologists have defined it in a way that gives us more insight.

One psychological definition of gratitude has two parts. It's the recognition that you've obtained a positive outcome and that the outcome's source is external. This definition could expand into positive outcomes that result from internal sources as well. 

Let's consider a couple of examples. You can feel grateful for the opportunity to be an entrepreneur teacher. This is gratitude coming from an external source. An example of a positive outcome arising from an internal source might be feeling grateful that you were able to learn a challenging new business skill. The internal source of this gratitude would be your commitment or resilience. 

The 3 Types of Gratitude

Some psychologists further define three types of gratitude. It can be a trait or an overall tendency to be grateful. It can be a "mood" or experience of gratitude that fluctuates throughout the day. Finally, it can be an emotion, the temporary "feeling" of gratitude after something positive occurs. 

Why Gratitude Is Important

Research has found a clear link between gratitude and improved physical and mental health, increased life satisfaction, happiness, and healthier habits. People who experience more gratitude also suffer less burnout. Additionally, specific gratitude practices like keeping a gratitude journal can boost mood. It can also enhance spiritual self-care, as my free Stress Relief Toolkit outlines. 

When we apply this to being teacherpreneurs, we can see many potential benefits. If a gratitude practice boosts your mood, enhances your overall health and self-care, and makes you more resistant to burnout, you can accomplish more with higher overall life satisfaction. 

The Link Between Burnout, Gratitude, and Stress

Burnout is a result of chronic stress. It’s a state of exhaustion, frustration, and cynicism that comes from too much work-related stress. Elements that contribute to, or cause, burnout are things such as:

• Increased workload
• A change in work duties
• Trying to fill the gap between what you're able to do and what you (or others) expect you to do 
• Time scarcity
• Working in and out of the classroom so you're never able to rest fully
• Feeling guilty about not getting everything done
• Compassion fatigue

Let's break down how this might relate to you. 

Running your teacher business brings a heavy workload, especially if you're handling responsibilities in the home or still in the classroom. Transitioning from teaching to entrepreneurship is a massive change in work roles, skills, and duties. 

There's too much to do and too little time. And it's difficult to balance realistic expectations with the pressures you put on yourself and those that others put on you. Running a business is incredible, but it can also be stress-city, as these examples show.

Systems and techniques to manage stress proactively can help ensure that you take care of yourself as you build your best life and business. Doing so makes your efforts much more sustainable over time and enhances your quality of life. A gratitude practice has been shown to be a powerful stress management technique.  

Learn more about the stress response cycle and ways to manage stress triggers.

How To Practice Gratitude For Teacherpreneurs

There are countless ways to practice gratitude. These three are among the most popular.

1. Slow down to notice the good around you: I talk a lot about deep breathing and grounding as a way to slow down and savor what's happening in your immediate environment. Slowing down increases your capacity to notice good things to feel grateful about.
2. Use a list of gratitude statements that support your business: Sometimes, it's hard to notice or recognize the good in our lives or businesses. Having a list of statements to use in the moment can serve as prompts and gratitude affirmations when we need them the most. You can even keep them handy in a jar to pull out at random when you need it. 
3. Start a gratitude journal: In the Life Balance Membership, we learn more about how journaling interrupts and manages stress. A gratitude journal is a superpowered tool for relieving teacherpreneur stress.

Examples of Gratitude Statements that Support Your Teacher Business

• I am grateful for what I can do.
• I'm thankful for all that I am and all that I do.
• My hard work is paying off.
• I'm grateful that I'm ready for whatever the day brings. I have all that I need to succeed. 

Want More Support for Your Life and Business?

Join our monthly membership where you receive new bonus items each month, a full workbook to support your progress (in your biz and personal life), a live workshop on a different topic each month, and a community of like minded teacherpreneurs. In the Teacher Business Balance Membership, we work together to make sure you have the systems and skills to promote business growth and personal wellness. 

There are 70 ready-to-use gratitude affirmations available as a bonus when you enroll in the Membership, where I guide entrepreneur teachers to curate their own personalized stress management and business systems. The membership launches in June! Learn all about it and sign up for the waitlist here! 

Can't wait to see you inside!