I started writing gratitude lists because I was chronically un-mindful. The summer before my freshman year of college, I spent the summer as a counselor at the overnight camp I have loved since I was nine years old. It’s a dream job — ten eight-year-olds that adored me, teaching swim lessons on the shores of Lake Ossipee all day long, surrounded by my best friends. But, I was struggling to appreciate it. Riddled with anxiety about the impending doom I was certain college would be, I was overwhelmingly anxious and found myself going through the motions of each day instead of appreciating what was in front of me. Even though I was extremely aware of the fact that I was wishing my days away, and upset at myself for doing it, I couldn’t stop. So, I started writing gratitude lists.
One of the best things about a gratitude list, to me, is how easy it is. Sometimes writing a full journal entry can seem overwhelming, especially when you’re anxious and busy, but adding a few items to a gratitude list when you’re feeling down takes no more than three minutes. Every night, I would open my journal and pick out things that made me feel happy and thankful — some entries from that summer are: holding hands with my sister while we floated on tubes in the lake, pancakes with chai honey, the warm sun at 4:37 pm on July 14th, driving successfully on the highway (something I’ve always hated), fruit salad with nectarines and blueberries, the feeling after an early morning run, chickpea curry, and sparkly nail polish. Random, but delightful. Another one of the best things about gratitude lists is reading them back. Reading through my list from the Summer of 2019 makes me remember the golden moments that infiltrated my stressful summer, making everything feel worth it.
I started religiously writing gratitude lists again during Quarantine. As many of us did, I struggled to appreciate what I had and focused a lot on what was missing from my life. Gratitude lists were my (temporary) solution. Some entries from quarantine include singing in the car with my dad, completing a 1000 piece puzzle, “Chatty Broads” podcast, lettuce wraps, bike rides, and scrapbooking.
Now, I am living on-campus at school, and I am surrounded by my closest friends, experiencing something I have been looking forward to since I got sent home from school in March. But still, understandably so, I am almost always extremely anxious. We are living in anxious times. It’s easy to think about how COVID has changed our college experience– to miss being with all our friends, our families, and in-person classes. That’s normal, and that is more than okay. I have, however, found some solace in turning back to my gratitude lists to celebrate what I have. Some entries from this fall include iced lattes, running again after injuries, cold nights, french toast, rocky hikes, and the sunset on Mt. Arab on September 19th.
The best thing about gratitude lists is how they can change your mindset. The more I write them, the more I think about what I’m grateful for throughout my days. If something small and good happens to me, I’ll think “Oh! I should write this on my gratitude list!” Then, I find myself remembering and appreciating it more. The more you write gratitude, the more you notice things to be grateful for.
This week especially, leading up to Thanksgiving, it will be weird for many of us to not have our “normal” celebrations with family and friends. It will be weird to discuss being thankful at a time in the world where people are struggling like never before. All the more reason to celebrate what we do have, no matter how big or how small. I will be writing lots of gratitude lists, and I hope you do, too!
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