Giving Thanks: How to Grow your Gratitude
The gallery above is a “community gratitude jar” that I pass when I’m walking my dogs! The owners recently made a chain of all the expressions of gratitude that people offered since the shutdown when Coronavirus began in March. This beautiful act of kindness is something I’m grateful for!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Have you ever noticed how these words often appear together? Happy + Thanksgiving? Turns out -- it makes sense in more ways than one. Because research shows that people who give thanks often are actually happier and more optimistic -- which in turn contributes to greater mental and physical health and even a longer life -- all things to be thankful for, right?
So here’s a Thanksgiving Day recipe for cooking up your own “attitude of gratitude.”
Repurpose a jar (or small bucket, planter or tupperware).
Decorate it… or not!
Cut up slips of paper and place them in a bowl or ziplock bag nearby, along with a pen.
Think of three things you are grateful for. It doesn’t matter whether they’re big or small. It can be a sunny day, or a person or an activity you enjoy. Write each one down on a piece of paper and put it in the jar.
Every day, add a slip of paper to the jar. You might want to pick a time of day to do this -- like in the morning, or at the end of the day.
TIP: Add a BONUS thank-you slip when you are feeling the opposite of grateful! For example, if you don’t get a promotion you wanted, that is the time to push yourself to find a silver-lining -- no matter how slim! Maybe not getting the promotion gives you more time with family, or maybe you still have the security of a job, or maybe you gained some information that will allow you to make a decision about your future. Extra time, security, permission to move on. These are all great! Add one or more to the jar!
As days go by, you are not just filling your jar -- you are actually programming your brain to feel more gratitude. As noted in this article from Psychology Today, “Brain scans of people assigned a task that stimulates expression of gratitude show lasting changes in the prefrontal cortex that heighten sensitivity to future experiences of gratitude.”
You don’t have to wait for the jar to be full in order to pour out your slips of paper and read through them. When you do, you’ll be reminded -- you have a lot to be thankful for!
