How to Incorporate Poetry into Your Gratitude Practice
This fall, you’re probably thinking about what aspects of your life you’re grateful for—your creative endeavors, your loved ones, or perhaps your health. You might even be searching for ways to center this gratitude in your life through a gratitude practice.
Whether you already have a gratitude practice or want to develop one, incorporating poetry can help you on this journey.
Write poems about gratitude
Poetry reminds us that, despite our circumstances, we can always find gratitude somewhere. Writing poems about gratitude, either abstractly or specifically, can inspire a grounded and joyful perspective in your daily life.
In a poem, you might explore nature—whether you’re grateful for oceans, forests, the sun, or the moon, writing about nature helps you remember to find gratitude in the simple things. Or, perhaps you’ll write an ode to someone you’re grateful for in your life. Consider adding this practice to your everyday routine—starting or ending each day by writing gratitude poetry can brighten your daily life.
If you have a poetry Instagram account, take this practice a step further with a gratitude-themed series of posts. To inspire you, check out these gratitude prompts.
Read poetry collections that explore what you’re grateful for
Reading poetry can also support your gratitude practice. As you begin your search for collections, start by making a list of what you’re grateful for. Whether you feel gratitude about where you live, season-specific memories, or friendships you cherish, a list can help you find collections with relevant themes and narratives.
When you read these collections, you’ll be reminded why gratitude matters. During challenging times, reach for a collection to find gratitude and hope.
Rediscover collections you previously read
As you’re incorporating poetry into your gratitude practice, why not be grateful for the poetry books you already own? Finding gratitude for what you have is an important part of developing a meaningful practice. This reminds you that you don’t need to constantly add more to your life to find joy.
Look through your collection to rediscover works you’ve previously read, or return to familiar favorites. They might reconnect you to past experiences, time periods of your life, or even remind you of relationships you had when you first read them.
Start a book club with friends you’re grateful for
Joining a book club can allow you to build community, learn from other poetry enthusiasts, and read regularly. If you’re not already a book club member, consider starting your own with friends you’re grateful for.
Friendship is so important for your gratitude practice—friends can help guide you when you’re lost, make you laugh when you’re sad, and remind you that spending time with loved ones lets you feel overflowing gratitude for life. By pairing friendship with poetry you can further deepen your gratitude practice. In your book club, maybe you all will embrace gratitude by choosing works with gratitude themes, starting or ending each meeting sharing something you’re grateful for, or even writing about gratitude together.
We hope this list has shown you the many ways poetry can help you find gratitude. Want even more content like this? Check out these eight poems for gratitude.
