SOURCE: Various
The act of “thanks giving” is a powerful one that can transform your outlook on life. Even in challenging times, there are so many things to give thanks for, to be grateful for. In this Thanksgiving season, stop for a moment or two and rediscover the power of gratitude. Appreciate the spirit of the holiday.
We might not be able to control what’s happening in our world, but we can control how we react to it. Focusing on gratitude is a great form of self-care that can keep one’s mindset positive and upbeat.
Thankful for the Little Things
You know the saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff?” Well, when it comes to gratitude, it’s actually the little things that should become our focus.
Being grateful for the small things in our lives can help us refocus our mindset. Yes, we want the big, important things to go our way, but when we make it a point to appreciate the everyday things in our lives, we can be more thankful and positive throughout our day.
At first, it might seem like work, but it’s not the actual gratitude that’s hard – it’s creating the habit of expressing it that’s the challenge. For some, expressing gratitude at the start, as well as the end of the day, is a great way to feel its benefits.
Making Gratitude a Habit
When you consciously make something part of your day, you are creating a habit. Here are a few ways to begin and end your day with gratitude:
Write in a gratitude journal. Use a journal to list a few things each day for which you are grateful. You can start your day with a journal entry when your mind is clearer and not yet filled with the twists and turns of your day, or write at the end of your day. Either way you will give yourself the opportunity to find and reflect on the silver linings in your life.
A journal can also serve as a happy record you can turn back to when you need a pick-me-up, although a list scrawled on the back of an envelope or a sticky note will do the trick as well.
Express your thanks out loud. If journaling isn’t your thing, try expressing your gratitude verbally. You can say, “I am thankful for a new day,” before you get out of bed in the morning. During your shower, you might murmur thanks for how good it feels to be clean and refreshed. And at night, as you drift off to sleep, a simple “thank you” can send you off into more peaceful slumber.
Meditate. A few moments spent in silence each day can have a transformative effect on how you feel during the day. If you are into yoga, you might choose a mantra that expresses gratitude. But even if you simply sit quietly in a chair for a few minutes each day, focus on just a few words of thanks.
It’s all about reframing your mindset to find and celebrate all the good things in life. If you can become the type of person who finds joy in the small stuff, you will be well on your way to rediscovering the power of thanks giving and gratitude.
