Expressing gratitude has a proven effect on increasing our happiness and satisfaction with life. When we focus on feeling grateful, we learn to appreciate frequently overlooked people, places, things and experiences. This holiday season, let us help you learn how to express gratitude to yourself and others in a meaningful way.
1. The Small Things
One of the best ways to begin expressing gratitude is to start small. Stop what you’re doing for a moment and take a deep breath. Look around you and think about where you are. Are you comfortable? Do you have a safe place to sleep tonight? Have you eaten food today? These are things to be grateful for.
Sometimes, the best way to feel grateful is to go back to basics. When we take some time to be thankful that the sun rose again today and the world kept spinning, we learn to appreciate the happiness – large and small – that each new day can bring.
2. Optimism
“Look on the bright side!” “Every cloud has a silver lining.” “At least you still have your health.”
Though the phrases may be cliché, there is a grain of truth in each. When we’re stuck in a situation that feels negative, searching for a positive light helps us find happiness. The holidays can bring out stress completely unique to this time of year: pressure to find the perfect gifts, travel hassles, inclement weather and more. Taking time to find the light in each situation that causes negative feelings can help you re-frame your thinking, ease your stress and increase your happiness.
If you are stressing about finding or making gifts for your loved ones, remember that you have loved ones to whom you can give gifts. They love you and they will appreciate your thought and effort.
If you are concerned about travel hassles, such as traffic, take a moment to marvel at all of the people rushing to be with the people closest to them. So many folks want to be with the people they love.
If you are distraught about inclement weather, wait until it is safe to travel. Reach back into your memories to when you were a child and snow was the best thing ever; maybe have a snow day of your very own!
By seeking out the positives of any situation, you can lower your stress and find something to be grateful for. It may even turn a dour moment into a wonderful memory.
3. Say Thank You
This doesn’t just apply to the holidays, but to every day. If someone does something nice for you, expressing your outward gratitude with a heartfelt “thank you” gives validation to the other person’s gesture. The other person will usually feel appreciated and happy that whatever they’ve done or said for you has earned your gratitude.
Do you want to take it one step further? Write a thank you note! A handwritten card gives the other person a tangible object that represents the time you took to express your thanks. It’s a small effort on your part, and it has a big impact – it can increase your level of happiness for a month!
4. Keep a Journal
Every day, write down at least one thing that you feel grateful for. According to psychologists at the University of California, Davis and University of Miami, doing so can increase your overall optimism and make you feel better about your life.
5. Maintenance
Perhaps the most important part of expressing gratitude is to do it consistently. Find something each day that you’re grateful for, even if it’s as simple as “I woke up and I’m alive.” Practice phrases such as, “I’m thankful that…” and “I’m grateful for…” so they become second-nature. After a few weeks, ask yourself if expressing gratitude every day has improved your sense of well-being. We’ll bet the answer is yes!