November is usually regarded as a month to give thanks. The month culminates with Thanksgiving Day and the beginning of the Christmas season. I appreciate that we have a whole month dedicated to giving thanks. It is a reminder to stop and appreciate what we have and who we share it with. However, I don’t think Thanksgiving Day should be solely celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving is an invitation to make gratitude a daily practice.
And as it turns out, having gratitude practice has some really cool benefits! According to Forbes, there are at least seven scientifically proven benefits of having a gratitude practice. These benefits include: improving physical and psychological health, increasing empathy, reducing aggression, and even helping you sleep better. So why not give it a go? Whether you have an established gratitude practice or are new to gratitude, here are 5 ways to help you start or strengthen a gratitude practice.
- Keep a gratitude journal: Sometimes we believe we appreciate the gifts we receive each day simply because we think about them. However, there is something quite powerful about writing your blessings down: it makes them real and tangible. Keeping a journal is really helpful when first establishing a gratitude practice. An added bonus? Whenever you’re feeling down or like nothing is going your way, you can go back to your gratitude journal for a quick pick-me-up…you’ll realize you’re more blessed than you believe!
- Put a gratitude board in your home: This is a great way to include the whole family in your gratitude practice. It can be as simple as writing the words “Today I am grateful for…” in a piece of paper and place it by the door or on the fridge. Remember to keep a pen or markers close by and marvel at how fast the blank page becomes full of words of gratitude! I remember when hurricane María hit Puerto Rico last year – I was bored out of my mind and struggling to think of a positive way to cope with the tragedy we were all going through. Gratitude changed my outlook completely. I wrote those five words in a blank piece of paper and before I knew it, we had a page full of words like “Community”, “Family”, and “Courage”. It was beautiful to see how in the midst of all the disaster, gratitude kept us close and hopeful.
- Do a 30 days of gratitude challenge: Personally, I’m doing this for the first time this year. All over Pinterest, there are boards of gratitude challenges that inspire you to be grateful about something different each day. A challenge like this has the power to increase the number of things we thought we could give thanks for. It’s a great November tradition to begin!
- Make it a dinner time question – If you regularly meet with your family or loved one for dinner, instead of going for the usual “how was your day?” questions, mix it up and ask “what are you grateful for today?”. This is a great conversation starter and you’ll be encouraging others to focus on their blessings. Doing this might even bring you closer to a loved one by increasing intimacy in the relationship.
- Use social media: Some of us are more technological than others, so why not use social media to keep track of all the things you’re grateful for? It can be a real challenge to capture in one picture something you are grateful for when that “thing” is more of a concept like “love” or “strength” but therein lies the beauty of this idea! Use your creativity and have fun!