Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday reminder to cultivate generosity, gratitude and positivity in your life throughout the year. Finding ways to be thankful in your daily life brings more inner peace, and studies show that a grateful attitude enhances your sense of greater life satisfaction and reduce one’s need to be overly reactive in a triggering situation.
You aren’t always able to control what’s going on in your life, but you can control how you react to words or circumstances. Instead of reacting without thinking, respond from a perspective of gratitude and choose to see the positive side. This technique will help you live more in the present with an easygoing and happier state of being. Try these seven ways to be more grateful this Thanksgiving, and see for yourself how a gracious attitude is a positive influence in your daily life:
Compliment yourself first
Extend a long overdue compliment to yourself. Invest in self care. Find little reasons to fall in love with yourself everyday.
Write a letter to a friend
Do you know a friend going through a tough time? Haven’t talked in a while?
Remind them of a time they were there for you and how strong they are. Show your gratitude for their friendship. Letting a friend know that you’re thinking of them will brighten their day.
Donate to your local food bank
Volunteer your time or buy staples for the food pantry when you next go shopping. Consider food items that aren’t often donated and may bring a nice change for people, such as chocolate, canned fruit or beef jerky.
Give thanks for the small stuff
At least once a day, pause. Close your eyes, breathe in and be grateful for the moment. That moment may be gratitude for the air filling your lungs, or the beautiful sound of wind chimes ringing over traffic.
Laugh
Laugh away annoying moments. Laugh at the oddness and beauty of life. Laugh with someone but never at them. Let loose, because laughter and positive emotions are contagious.
Say “I love you”
During a busy day like Thanksgiving, you’re going to be in go mode constantly. Stop to say “I love you,” which reminds you of the spirit of the holiday and the importance of sharing your love and time with family.
Develop a gratitude practice
Form your own daily ritual of thankfulness with a gratitude practice. The best way to jump start your practice may be with a gratitude journal.
Say what or who you are thankful for and why, with reflective details. Write it down! This way you have a space to come back to your journal daily and have a small sanctuary of mindfulness from stress.
Your positive vibes will be contagious in the lives of your loved ones, and you’ll see a major boost in your well being daily by cultivating a grateful attitude. Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to start sharing the abundance of being thankful and how the small stuff of life can have a big impact.
