Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! This month, especially with Thanksgiving, we are focusing on positivity and the power of gratitude. Thanksgiving is a holiday literally for “giving thanks”, making it the perfect time to reflect on what you’re thankful for. Many families have a Thanksgiving tradition where they go around the table and share what they’re thankful for, but what about the other 364 days of the year? There is so much to be grateful for each and every day, but rarely do we stop and think about it. There are so many ways to practice gratitude, but it may be hard to start creating the habit. Let’s go through some ways to practice gratitude, and some examples of topics you could use to start thinking more positively!

Gratitude Journals. This is a place for you to reflect daily on the things you are thankful for. You can buy journals online with dates and prompts in them if you’re looking to write about different things each day, or else a regular notebook will do just fine! If you’re new to gratitude journals, start writing one thing at the beginning or end of your day that you are thankful for. You can also find lists of different prompts if you want to take on a gratitude challenge. The important thing with gratitude journals are to be consistent, and write something down every single day. If you make it a habit to think positively on a regular basis, you can change your brain chemistry! It is also important to schedule some time to look back through your journal a few times a year to reflect and remember the things that made you smile. 

If you want your family to practice gratitude, make sure to get them involved in your daily ritual! Ask your kids what they are thankful for, or something that made them smile each day. Getting them in the habit of celebrating the happy things in their lives will make for more grateful kids, and it will be easier to make the habit stick for them, since it is started at a younger age. You could even start a tradition to go through the gratitude journals each year around Thanksgiving time and share some things you celebrated over the past year together. If you are still looking for some more inspiration on gratitude prompts, let’s go through a few examples.

• What are you grateful for today?
• What little blessings and miracles did you experience today?
• What do you love most about yourself?
• What risk are you most grateful for having taken?
• What is your proudest accomplishment?
• What is your favorite emotion to feel?
• What experiences have strengthened you?
• What everyday items are you most grateful for?
• What amazing things do you already have in your life that you want more of?
• What is your top goal and why are you grateful for it?
• Describe the last time you did something nice for someone else.
• Write a list of things you want to manifest as if they are already yours.

If you and your family decide to start a gratitude journal, please share some of your tips for making it routine below! We would also love to hear about any gratitude prompts that really stuck out to you. Have a great rest of November everyone!