The Positive Power of Gratitude – Every Day

I love Thanksgiving. Not having been raised in America, I find it a very American “thing” to set aside a day a year just to be thankful. I think it’s a beautiful sentiment and I lo getting together with family every year, my own and others, and sharing what we are thankful for before we “tuck in” to our turkey.

Here’s the trick, though. The point is we should be thankful EVERY day, every meal and every time we see the ones we love. Again and again, studies have proven that practicing gratitude has a more positive effect on your mental health and overall well being than any other character trait or mental habit. While some people might naturally be more “glass half full” people by nature, the fact is that being more conscious of things to be grateful for is a HABIT that can be cultivated pretty easily.

Here are some easy ways to incorporate the “attitude of gratitude” into your daily life.

1. Book end your day with gratitude. Commit to not rising out of bed until you have thought of 10 things for which you are grateful. Here are a couple to get you started, “I am grateful I woke up”, “I am grateful I have a job to go to”, “I am grateful I can have coffee or tea if I choose this morning.”
Go to bed thinking of the top 3 things for which you are grateful for that happened during the day. If you live with someone, share these thoughts before you go to bed. I sometimes text my adult daughter who lives away from home my “3 things” and she shares them back. It is a lovely way to stay connected and share the joy. If you don’t live with people, write the three things down. Brain science proves that the act of writing things down serves to create new neuron pathways in your brain structure.

2. Download a gratitude app for your smart phone so that you can get into the “gratitude habit” while you are waiting in line, waiting at the doctor’s office or wherever. It’s a more productive way to spend your time than looking through expired magazines or scrolling through Facebook feeds of people who are airing grievances.

3. Commit to sending out one thank you note a week for 3 months to someone who has made a positive impact on your life. You know, an old school thank you note where you have to hunt for a card, a physical address and a stamp. Once you search your memory banks you might find that you have way more than 12 people to thank. Sharing your gratitude has a very positive effect on both YOU and the person you are being thankful to. There is an old saying that says feeling gratitude and not sharing it, is like wrapping a present and not giving it.

4. Change the way you view your e-mail in box. You know those dinging notification sounds that you dread that say you have a new e-mail? What if you could reprogram yourself to love that sound and see it as an opportunity to have someone new to thank? Seriously! Make it a point to find one e-mail a day that you can respond to with a genuine “thank you” or “I appreciate you.”

It’s just a habit, like anything else. And the gratitude habit is a great one to have!