Coaching practices for Ignatian Gratitude Step

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Ignatian Gratitude Step, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

  • When I sit down at night to look back on my day with God, I tend to jump straight to everything I did wrong
  • The second someone genuinely thanks me I rush to brush it off
  • When I face where I fell short today I either wave it away as no big deal or I tip straight into hating myself over it
  • Whenever I review my own day I quietly spin everything to make myself look better, and I know it
  • People around me do helpful things all the time and I feel the appreciation but it just stays in my head

Practices that may help

  1. Become aware of God’s presence and give thanks
    Open the review by pausing, settling, and naming specific gifts from the day.
    The Ignatian Examen: Five Movements of Daily Review
  2. The Ignatian Examen: Five Movements of Daily Review
    The Ignatian Examen is a five-step daily prayer and reflection practice developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola: give thanks, ask for clarity, review the day, face what fell short, and resolve what comes next. As a structured reflection method it is centuries-old and widely practiced; its benefits are supported by the broader research on gratitude, emotional review, and implementation intentions, not by trials of the Examen itself.
  3. Practice receiving gratitude without deflecting
    When someone expresses genuine gratitude to you, resist the reflex to minimize it — receive it fully.
    The Gratitude Visit: Telling Someone They Mattered
  4. Face shortfalls with honest sorrow, not shame
    Name where you fell short today without either minimizing it or spiraling into self-punishment.
    The Ignatian Examen: Five Movements of Daily Review
  5. Ask for clarity and honest perception
    Before reviewing, pause to ask for the capacity to see honestly rather than defensively.
    The Ignatian Examen: Five Movements of Daily Review
  6. Practice micro gratitude visits for smaller acknowledgments
    For everyday appreciation, develop a habit of specific, direct acknowledgment in the moment.
    The Gratitude Visit: Telling Someone They Mattered
  7. Practice the Examen daily and briefly
    Do a short Examen most days rather than a long one occasionally.
    The Ignatian Examen: Five Movements of Daily Review
  8. Practice gratitude for the full arc, not just the pleasant parts
    Express gratitude not only for gifts and good fortune but for the difficulties that shaped you.
    Amor Fati: Loving What Happens
  9. Write one brief gratitude note per week to a real person
    Each week, send one specific thank-you to a person whose contribution you actually noticed.
    Counting Blessings: The Psychology of Grateful Reflection
  10. Ancestor gratitude: receiving the long past
    Deliberately acknowledge the accumulated sacrifices and gifts of those who came before you.
    The Good Ancestor: Long-Path Thinking for a Meaningful Life

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