Practicing gratitude has powerful benefits. Here are 6 simple activities to start your gratitude practice.
2020 has been a quite a year. COVID-19. Lock downs. Political divisiveness. Economic uncertainty. Do we want to forget this year, or do we want to remember it and embrace the many lessons it offered?
If you look closely and listen carefully, there has been some good. The choir of Who’s are singing in Whoville and the silver bell from the Polar Express still rings for those who choose to listen.
Who can hear these elusive and encouraging sounds? People who practice gratitude are who. People whose ethos is to live mindfully and who consciously acknowledge the small opportunities to say “thank you.”
Can’t hear these tranquil vibrations because 2020 has you too overwhelmed? Let’s see how you are doing. Take this Gratitude quiz to get a sense of where you are on the gratitude scale and then read on to deepen your understanding of the importance of incorporating gratitude into your daily life.
Benefits of Practicing Gratitude
Perhaps you are asking what the big deal about gratitude is. Let’s turn to science to help with that. According to Positive Psychology, there are a variety of reasons to make gratitude a part of your daily life. Among them are:
- improved physical health
- improved sleep
- increased empathy
- enhanced self-esteem
- more social connection
Learn to be Grateful in 4 Steps
Those are the benefits. How do you learn to practice gratitude or how can you teach your child? Mindful Amazing breaks it down into 4 distinct steps:
- Noticing – become aware of a person, place, or thing you appreciate. Did someone do something nice for you? Did someone give you something?
- Thinking – think about why the person did something for you. Think about all the reasons you are thankful for this person or gesture.
- Feeling – what are all the emotions you feel as a result of what you have been given? How do you feel? Happy, proud, calm?
- Doing – how will you express your gratitude to this person? What action will you take?
Gratitude Activities
Now you know the science-based, powerful reasons to practice gratitude and have a simple 4-Step Plan to implement it. As they say on television commercials… “But wait, there’s more!” Here is a series of activities that Engage the Brain curated from around the Internet that you could do to help establish your gratitude practice.
Gratitude journal
One of the simplest and most powerful activities you can do is start and maintain a gratitude journal. Jot down what you are grateful for. If you need motivation, there are Facebook groups that you can join and post a daily gratitude statement. Members of the group encourage each other and provide sources of inspiration.
Random acts of kindness
Performing random acts of kindness can provide us with a blast of a feel good hormone, dopamine. Random can equal simple. Return a stray shopping cart to the storefront or place it in its proper holding spot in the parking lot. Hold the door for a stranger as you enter or exit a building. Offer to help an elderly neighbor with their yard work.
Gratitude jar
Place a large jar in a visible location in your home. Perhaps there is room on the kitchen counter. Next to the jar place some small note cards or index cards that have been cut in half. Each member of the family can write down something they are grateful for and place it in the jar. Ideally each person contributes daily. Establish a time when the family is all together – maybe Sunday during dinner – and read the notes. Challenge your family to keep the practice going.
Photo collage
Just about everyone 10 years old and up has a cellphone or smartphone. And just about all of them have a camera. Challenge each family member to take pictures of things they are grateful for during the week. If so inclined, create a theme for the week. Possible themes include people, places, nature, or food. Pick a night during the week that each family member can share his or her photos.
Gratitude walk
Take a walk around your neighborhood with the intention of being grateful. Activate your five senses and focus in what you see, hear, smell, feel, and if appropriate, taste. Challenge yourself to notice things you have not seen before. The color of a neighbor’s house. A flower garden on the side of a home. The sound of kids playing in a backyard.
Putting it all together
2020 has been a year. Whether its been a roller coaster, an isolation chamber, or series of starts and stops of good-intentioned self-improvement – learning a foreign language, how to play the guitar, or bake pumpernickel bread – it is safe to say everyone is exhausted and ready for the return of “normal.” As we fight back and observe safety protocols, please remember to be grateful for the good that is still there. It takes practice, but the benefits are undeniable.
Engage the Brain is grateful for our families, schools, and most importantly our students, that strive every day to do their best.
Enjoy the holiday season.
Contact us to learn more about Engage the Brain and the services we provide to build confidence and academic success.