Thanksgiving is a holiday many choose to celebrate, known for being a time to get together with loved ones, eat traditional Thanksgiving cuisine and express what you are thankful for.
Thanksgiving fills my heart with joy and gratitude while it also fills my stomach with delicious, homemade food. As I eagerly wait to fly home and see my friends and family, a question enters my mind.
How can I continue practicing gratitude outside of the Thanksgiving season?
After doing some thinking, I ended up creating a new goal for myself: be purposeful and present. Taking the time to soak in little moments of appreciation and thanks is something many of us may not think about often, but it is so important.
Here are five of many ways to practice gratitude that you can implement into your daily life.
- create a gratitude journal
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Creating a gratitude journal is great for practicing gratitude, being something nostalgic and joyful to flip through in the future. Taking five minutes to write down the things you are grateful for each day is a good starting point. Besides, writing this down can make you feel extra productive and your words become planted into your memory, helping you remember what you are thankful for throughout the day. Journaling allows you to relive happy memories, keep yourself consistent and increase your mindfulness.
- morning mindset of gratitude
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In my opinion, the way you start your morning determines your mood for the day. Starting with mindfulness practices and thinking about what you are thankful for each day will boost your mood. Doing this for 5-10 minutes every morning may seem short, but it is effective. This will take away your focus from resorting to unproductive and mindless activities, such as scrolling endlessly through social media. Your mind will be in the right place and free of unneeded stress, creating a positive outlook for your day.
- tell someone you love or appreciate them
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Telling someone you love or appreciate them is so important in practicing gratitude. Expressing this will fill you with joy as well as make the other person happy. I feel like we can process these thoughts internally, but we forget to actually express it often. So go tell someone you love them, it will make their day.
- notice nature
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Personally, when I notice nature’s beauty, it is often the catalyst for more thoughts of gratitude. You can do this by simply looking around at your surroundings or getting together with your loved ones to go on a hike, watch the sunset or something in that realm. Noticing nature is a beautiful thing; it allows you to soak in the moment and appreciate the beauty around you.
- “thank you”
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This one is very simple and can be easily done on the daily; say “thank you!” Whether it is thanking your barista or thanking your friend for being there for you, it can translate to many scenarios. Acknowledging the things people do for you is powerful, and merely thanking someone may just turn their day around.
