As Thanksgiving Day approaches and followed by Every-Man-For-Themselves day AKA “Black Friday” following afterward, don’t forget to be thankful. Being thankful and having an attitude of thanks does not only strengthen relationships and is seen as socially awesome, but also “It does a body good!”. Physiologically our bodies are wired for being thankful and as a result, we live longer. When we’re thankful, we not only sleep better, but we give our emotions a positive boost. This change in our mental state increases the likelihood that we would participate in healthy activities, but has an effect on our autonomic system (the system that regulates pain, heart rate, blood pressure..etc)
Even if you are that Mr. Grumpy without an ounce of thankfulness, there are ways that you can practice that attitude of gratitude and to be more thankful.
- Count your blessings. Keeping a gratitude diary or counting your blessings is a great way to recall and remind yourself all that you have to be thankful for. Not only can it give you that boost within the week, but when it’s time to share your thanksgivings this week, you are prepared.
- Daily prayer / meditation. Sometimes saying things out loud or focusing your thoughts on a specific topic, such as being thankful, can help to change your mental state for the day.
- Thank you, your welcome. Being intentional to whom you’re handing out verbal “Thank-You’s” for the day is definitely great way for practicing being thankful. When you make “Thank you” your mission; you know it’ll get done.
- Thank you letter. Maybe you’re more expressive through words and feel that a simple “Thank you” doesn’t do it justice; write a thank you. Writing a thank you letter or card is one of the best ways to express your gratitude; plus the receiver gets to reread your “Thank-you” over and over again.
- Non-verbal. Most of our communication occurs through body language, sorry millennials. Expressing your being thankful through a handshake, smile, and a hug can be even more powerful than just saying “thank you”.
Practicing being thankful before Turkey day is not too late; we’re still a couple of days away! So put on that attitude of gratitude to sleep well, improve your well-being, and life someone up.
