Fun Ways to Increase your Gratitude Practice

Submitted by Rebecca Smith from Family Ties Association

With October upon us, I naturally start to think about Thanksgiving; this then leads me to think about being thankful and grateful. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful throughout the year, but this month really gets me to reflect back on the basics of giving thanks to some of the amazing things we get to experience and the benefits that come from being grateful.

Did you know that expressing gratefulness has benefits to not only the person who is receiving it, but also to the person expressing it? Some of the many researched benefits of practicing gratitude are (Emmons & Stern, 2013):

  • Increased overall levels of happiness/satisfaction with life

  • Decreased levels of perceived stress and increased ability to cope with stressors

  • Increased resiliency

  • Increased overall health

  • Increased social-emotional development

So, do you want to have some of these benefits in your and your child’s life? Of course, you do! Well, below are five great activities to try out; remember, the more you practice them, the easier they will be to do and the happier you will feel.

  1. Daily Gratitude Reflection. Daily gratitude reflections can be done independently or with those around you. At the end of the day, spend some time to think about 1-3 things that you are thankful for; you can either write them out, talk about them, or just mindfully think about them. Remember, these gratitude moments don’t always have to be the ‘big ones’, they also can be small moments such as having clean clothes to put on (meaning I didn’t have to do laundry today -win!) or getting the kids to school on time. When engaging in this activity with others, it can be a great way to connect and gain some new perspectives from those around you. A playful way to get your children to express their gratitude moments is to encourage them to act it out or draw it out, leaving it up to you to guess.

  2. Random Acts of Kindness. Remember how great it felt when the person in front of you at the coffee shop bought your drink order? Or when your child surprised you with a homemade gift? Well guess what, you can pass that feeling along to others by doing the same thing and you get a little happiness boost knowing you were kind. These little acts of kindness can build up and lead to overall more positive feelings of connection and yes, you got it, thankfulness. You can also get these positive feelings by pointing out when you see others displaying kindness. If you need some ideas to try, take a look at the Random Acts of Kindness website - RAK

  3. Be Creative With Your Thanks. Going along the same lines as doing different acts of kindness for others, you can be creative in the ways you say thank you and show gratitude to others. You could create a card, draw a picture, give a smile, a thumbs up, and/or deliver a home-made gift. Others will love how thoughtful your ‘thanks’.

  4. Savour the Good Moments. Just as we sometimes slow down and enjoy well-prepared meals, we can do the same with moments that feel good to us. When a positive and happy moment is occurring, take a few deep slow breathes and just notice; notice what you are thinking, feelings, and the sensations that are occurring within yourself. This is called savouring the moment. Later, when you are having a rougher day or moment, think back to those moments you savoured and you will be able to experience that moment again. Likewise, you can capture those moments which bring you joy with your phone; take a quick picture or video to go back to when needed. You will be amazed at how quick your mood can change when looking at a picture and/or video.

  5. Play out Gratitude. I am sure you knew this one was coming; yes, a great way to learn about gratitude and how it feels is for children to play it out. You can encourage your child to use their stuffed animals, dolls, action figures and other characters to act out and show how it feels to be kind, thankful, and gratitude to each other.

Enjoy spending some time engaging in gratitude and thankfulness this month and any other month you feel.

family sharing a meal and giving thanks

Sources

Emmons, R.A. and Stern, R. (2013), Gratitude as a Psychotherapeutic Intervention. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69 (8): 846-855. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22020

Image: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-group-of-people-sharing-a-toast-5638744/

Tanya Whipple