Best Self Family Post
5 Ways to Practice Gratitude in 5 Minutes or Less
11/15/17
When November comes around, we think about Thanksgiving and are reminded to be thankful for what we have in our lives. This practice is an important one, taking time to notice and appreciate what we have. We take special time to do this around holidays, and can continue throughout the year with simple rituals that can fit into everyday life.
Why practice gratitude? The benefits are immense, including better mood, deeper relationships and good health. Your functioning in school and at work can improve. Even your personality is positively affected, as being a grateful person tends to help others see you as a nicer person overall. When you feel more positively, you are also more likely to take better care of yourself, eating healthier and feeling more motivated to exercise. It’s important to find ways that work for you, to help you recognize and appreciate happy moments throughout your day.
Make it a habit in just five minutes or less:
Gratitude Letter - Write a short letter, card or email to someone in your life that you appreciate. Acknowledge them for doing something kind for you. Showing that you appreciate even the smallest actions, makes others happy. You’re likely to feel even more grateful after putting a smile on their face.
Gratitude Journal - Take 5 minutes sometime during your day and write down 3 things you are grateful for. Add to this list each day. If you are feeling down or sad, look back at this list. You can have your children do this as well, especially if they don’t want to say it out loud.
Meal Times - Introduce the concept of gratitude to your family and start a new daily ritual at dinner time. Have everyone in the family share one thing they feel grateful for from that day (including parents). When done regularly, this helps children notice more positive events throughout their days (anticipating your discussion).
Throughout the Day - Notice the things you are grateful for throughout the day and the things that we sometimes take for granted. Try to put a positive spin on negative events by thinking more about what you learned from the situation. Take a nice walk outside and notice the things around you that you appreciate. For example, “I appreciate being able to see all the different colored leaves.”
Gratitude Jar - Start a family gratitude jar that stays out somewhere everyone can see it, with small sheets of paper and a pen. When good things happen, encourage family members to write it down and enter it in the jar. Writing one note per day can take just a minute or two. For example, “I am grateful that Johnny did his homework right when he came home from school.” Use sentences like “Thank you for..” “What I love about you is…”. Then choose a time to get together as a family and read them out loud. This will help build more happiness in your home.
Don’t just practice these things around Thanksgiving. Incorporate them all year round and see if you notice a difference in your family’s perspective. As you continue to practice gratitude, it will become more and more natural for your family to think this way.
If you are in need of assistance with making lifestyle changes in your family, professional counseling can help. Contact us at info@bestselfinc.com for more information.
Source
Amin A, (2014) The 31 benefits of gratitude you didn’t know about: How gratitude can change your life. Retrieved from http://happierhuman.com/benefits-of-gratitude/