Giving Thanks: How to Practice Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving! As gratitude is the theme of this season, it's important to know how to be grateful. It is really easy to go through your everyday life without realizing the many things we have to be grateful for. I find it way too easy to focus on the negative of life that at times I forget to give thanks for the good. Since this is a point of struggle for me in my everyday life, I decided to look up some gratitude practicing tips. I’ve implemented these tips into my life over the past few weeks and wanted to share my progress with you. Maybe you can use these tips too.

1. Start a gratitude journal

Everyday for the last 2 weeks I’ve finished each day writing down 3 things I’m grateful for. At first I kept it real simple like “I’m grateful that I'm alive,” “I’m grateful for my family,” and “I’m grateful for my bed.” As the weeks went on, my gratitude statements became a little more specific. For example, I wrote “My friend checked in on me today when I was struggling and I’m thankful for her,” “I had a good conversation with my mom and I’m grateful for it,” and “The taco from that food truck was amazing! I’m grateful for good food.” Writing in my journal at the end of everyday reminded me that, no matter how bad the day was, there was still something to be grateful for.

2. Express your gratitude

Telling people that you are thankful for them is just as important as saying ‘thank you.’ It is far too easy to go through the day saying ‘thank you’ without really meaning it. Expressing your gratitude for someone with a note, a heartfelt thank you, or a cup of coffee can really change the tone of your day and theirs. I started writing thank you notes to people that impacted my day in a positive way and it made me more aware of the little things people do for me and the things I can do for others. This practice reminded me to not just be grateful but to act grateful too.

3. Volunteer/Acts of Kindness

After being reminded of the things others do that make me feel gratitude, I started to find ways to help others. I started volunteering at university events, helping friends with little things here and there, wrote positive sticky notes and posted them around my apartment and office, and called up old friends to check in. Volunteering and performing random acts of kindness not only brought a light to others day but reminded me to give and appreciate help.

As this season of gratitude and stress comes upon us, it’s important to remember to practice gratitude and find the good. So when you go home for Thanksgiving and the traffic stinks and you’re tired, remember to be grateful that you have this day to feel and express your gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving!