Quick And Easy Ways to Incorporate Thankfulness Every Day

Quick And Easy Ways to Incorporate Thankfulness Every Day

Today is Thanksgiving, and it’s easy to forget to thank people on the other days of the year. Here are a few reminders that have helped me to remember, along with why gratitude is a wonderful practice every day.

Helps You Remember How You Got Where You Are

Do you remember who showed you how to tie your shoes? Or who showed you how to drive a stick shift, if you’re someone who knows how? How about the person who taught you how to type? Remembering who taught you those valuable lessons might make you get into the WayBack Machine(tm), since they probably happened so long ago. What about more recent lessons? How to make a favorite dish, for instance? Someone had to patiently explain how to grate cheese, mix the noodles, and put everything in the oven. In my case, that was my mom. I learned a lot about cooking from her, and I’ll always be grateful to her. How do you express your gratitude? You might like to read about how to keep a gratitude journal.

Gratitude Makes You Happy

Do you believe that giving thanks makes you a happier person? I certainly do, and so do the folks at Harvard Medical School. Here’s a quote from their article Giving thanks can make you happier:

Photo by Infomastern

“Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible.”

Sometimes just acknowledging a little act of kindness can go a long way towards that grateful feeling. Recently, here in Northern California, we’ve seen the horrific natural disaster of the Camp Fire. We’ve also seen so many people go out of their way to help people, and sometimes those people aren’t able to thank anyone. But we can thank people, such as the first responders who were there on the scene (many still are as I write this).

Shows You That You’re Not Alone

Sometimes when you’re counting your blessings you realize that others have similar problems. Do you have eyes to see with and ears to hear with? I love Louie Schwartzberg’s wonderful TED Talk about gratitude, in which he says to open your heart to the universe. Sometimes you may realize that people are much worse off because they don’t even have a roof over their heads or a safe place to sleep. Even though the air is terrible right now in California, most of us are safe. We can help people who have been through disasters and feel grateful for our own luck at the same time. A gratitude practice doesn’t erase all the negative from your life, but it does show you that you’re not alone.

You can thank the universe for basic things like good health, fresh water to drink, electricity, or technology, such as the internet or .gifs! Because why not?

Magnify Those Positive Emotions

Do you want to feel happier for longer? Who doesn’t, right? Thanking people makes you feel just that. Notice when you thank someone or feel gratitude for something how good you feel afterwards, and how your mood can change without your doing much of anything.

How Do You Incorporate Thankfulness?

Do you have a gratitude practice? Have you ever considered having one? Leave me a comment! And thank you!