Of course, with it being Thanksgiving, we’re all going to take a pause and focus on what we’re grateful for. And being all about health and wellness here, we should probably remind you that study after study has found that gratefulness makes you happier,  wiser, more well-liked, and healthier overall. 

But we’re not going to do that. 

Instead, we’re going to offer up some suggestions taken from 10 Ways to Be a More Thankful Person for being more intentional about the ways we show gratitude:

1. Every day, say aloud three good things that happened. This can be a fun activity to do with your kids when you tuck them in or around the dinner table with family, but it’s also extremely powerful to express gratitude aloud when you’re alone — or don’t feel very grateful.
2. Keep a gratitude journal. Jot down the small things from your day that mattered to you, like the few minutes of quiet time you had on your drive to work, or the fact that this afternoon’s rainstorm didn’t flood your basement. If you’re having a particularly rough day, you can look back through the pages of accumulated blessings in your life.
3. Say thanks to your partner. Couples who express gratitude toward one another set up a powerful feedback loop of intimacy and trust, where both partners feel as if their needs are being met.
4. Savor the good moments. If you notice you’re feeling happy, stop what you’re doing and pay attention for a few minutes. Notice exactly how you feel, including the sensations in your body and the thoughts you’re having. Later, when you’re trying to inspire gratitude, you can remember this moment and experience the benefits all over again.
5. Look outward, not inward. Robert Emmons, Ph.D., the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, says people are more likely to feel grateful when they put their focus on others rather than getting caught up in their own inner narratives about how things should have gone. Empathy for others can trigger a sense of gratitude, and people who have an outward focus tend to experience stronger benefits.

This is only half the list presented in the article, and it’s certainly not exhaustive. There are so many ways to focus on gratefulness and being thankful. Our hope is that you feel overtaken by the many blessings you have in your life. And we want you to know that YOU are a massive blessing to all of us. We keep doing what we do because of you. We know you hear “From our family to yours…” a lot over the holiday season, but we really do mean it. 

With that, from our family to yours, we wish for you the most grateful Thanksgiving you’ve had up until this point. May you find goodness everywhere you look. We pray that you feel loved and seen as you see others in a new light and love them in more profound ways. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Sources:

hhttps://thehealthsessions.com/practice-gratitude/ttps://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/is_gratitude_good_for_your_health