Do you know the health benefits to expressing gratitude? Studies show that when you express gratitude, your mood improves, boosting your immunity, lowering rates of stress, anxiety and depression. It also makes you feel happier in general!
Expressing gratitude isn’t just saying thank you to someone. It’s deeper than that. It’s feeling lucky or feeling blessed and wanting to share it with others.
How do you find gratitude? With purpose. Finding gratitude requires you to be aware of what’s going on around you. It’s a change in the way you interact in the world. Instead of moving through your day just reacting and responding to whatever comes your way, you walk through your day with intention.
Just like creating any habit, it takes practice. Practice finding or expressing gratitude for 30 days and see your outcome. Like any other habit, consistency is key to create results. It builds.
Start here ➡️ Download the attached 30 days of Gratitude Ideas and the corresponding Gratitude Log and simply do something from the Gratitude Ideas list each day for 30 days and log it! Easy peasy, right?
Alternatively, if you want to pick just one Gratitude Idea from the list and focus on seeing that through each day, you can simply download the Gratitude Tracker and start a gratitude habit! Each day, simply carry out however you've chosen to feel/share your gratitude and then give yourself a star on your Gratitude Tracker to track your progress.
Accountability- You can help yourself be successful creating your gratitude habit with accountability. Here are 3 options:
Print out your Gratitude Tracker or the Gratitude Log and put it next to where you brush your teeth, or in a visible place in your car or in your wallet so each day, when you do that thing in your routine, you'll be reminded of expressing gratitude as well. (This is called Habit Stacking"-Atomic Habits, James Clear)
If you enjoy doing things with a partner, this is a great partnership activity to do with someone. Simply check in with each other once a day and share!
Follow @thekidcoachlakeland and each day in stories, get new ideas, share your own or get inspired by others, I will be sharing my progress each day as well.
A few easy ideas to start with that you'll also find on the Gratitude list attached below:
Random Acts of Kindness -help someone
Smile or wave at someone
Ask your friend how they’re feeling and really listen attentively to their response
My personal favorite thing to do and what I also think is one of the easiest ways to find gratitude is to give a genuine compliment or a genuine thank you. For example, “I love the way you ask if anyone else would like a glass of water when you get one for yourself.” Or “thank you for giving me a hug every morning. How lucky am I that I get to start the day with you?” For me, it’s easy and it’s fun. When you start looking around for great things, it can really shift your perspective and improve your health along the way.
Just think. In 30 days, you can be experiencing results such as improved sleep, better mood, improved immunity, decreased depression and anxiety which ultimately can decrease difficulties with chronic pain and risk of disease. It's free. It's easy. And now you've been given all the tools you need to see it through. Cheers to a grateful and healthy holiday season!
Download the 30 Day Gratitude Challenge packet to keep your practice going all month long and reap the physical and mental health benefits as a result!