With the holiday season right around the corner, we hope you’ll take some time to reflect on the year and acknowledge what you’re grateful for. Though it’s been a challenging year for all of us, expressing gratitude has the power to remind us of all the good in our lives that can be too easy to overlook. Studies have shown that the act of being grateful can improve overall well-being, increase happiness, and strengthen relationships. These are as good of reasons as any to practice gratitude every day. The good news? Expressing gratitude doesn’t need to be difficult or time consuming. The following tips will help you incorporate gratitude into your daily routine and engage in meaningful reflection on-the-go:
Make a Note of It
The act of translating your thoughts into concrete language has been proven to increase awareness and emotional impact. While tracking what you are grateful for, it’s important to be as specific as possible. For example: instead of saying, “I’m grateful for my family”, write down something about your family that you couldn’t imagine living without, or something a member of your family has done recently that made you feel loved and supported. Below are two different methods for tracking your moments of gratitude that are simple and easy to incorporate into your daily life:
Start a gratitude journal: Track your gratitude in a notebook or an app on your phone so you can add to it anytime, anywhere, and reflect on your notes over time.
Spread the love: Show your gratitude for the people around you by writing personal thank you notes to colleagues, family, and friends.
Make It Simple
Anything can go on your gratitude list–nothing is too big or too small. In fact, it helps to focus less on what you are writing and more on how you feel while you are writing it. A good way to get you started off on the right foot is to respond to gratitude prompts. This way you can spend less time thinking about what to write and more time actively reflecting and responding to the question.
Make It a Routine
Set yourself up for success by implementing a morning or evening routine that includes practicing gratitude. Setting aside time for this in the mornings or evenings tend to yield the best results because that is generally when we can prioritize time for ourselves. Additionally, there’s nothing better than starting and ending your day with positivity.
We hope you’ll find these tips helpful as you begin your gratitude journey. We’ll be right there with you. As always, you’ve got this!
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more.”
-Melody Beattie