5 Practical Ways to Practice Gratitude

Last week, I posted about 5 Ways Practicing Gratitude Makes Your Life Better. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to give the link a click and check it out…Now that you know the many benefits of practicing gratitude regularly, let’s jump into practical ways to do just that.

1. Take Time to Think

Sometimes, all it takes is time! We are busy people with busy lives. We don’t always take time away from this busyness to think about all we have to be grateful for. Schedule some time in your day or week for reflection. You could play soft music, if you like, or just find a quiet space. Maybe go outside during a lunch break, sit in your car an extra moment when you get home, or find a comfy spot before going to bed. Then use that time to reflect upon your day/week. Acknowledge your feelings, whatever they may be, but do your best to end on a note of gratitude. No matter how small. Believe me, I know how difficult this can be sometimes, but trust me, it will make a huge difference ending your time in a positive way!

2. Start a Gratitude Journal

Another simple way to reflect on what you are grateful for is by starting a gratitude journal! There are several options for doing this, but, typically, the point is to write about people, events, and anything else that comes to mind of what you are grateful for. It doesn’t have to take up much time, 15 minutes at most. You can do it however often you want to, however, I suggest doing it daily or weekly and putting a reminder in your phone, if needed, to remember to do it. Once it becomes a habit, you may not need that phone reminder and it will become a time you look forward to each day/week.

A few options for gratitude journals include this one from Pukyo on Amazon, this one from Clever Fox on Amazon, or my personal favorite a Gratitude Finder journal from Denise Albright (I am not affiliated with them, but own one and love it!) I especially love it because it comes with stickers and no dates. So, if you forget to journal or take a break you can come back to it and not waste any pages.

You can, also, fancy up your gratitude journal by purchasing stickers, colorful pens, or creating your own doodles inside of it.

This activity can be particularly calming after a difficult day, especially if you alreay have a start to the journal. Go back through it and read what you are grateful for and it will put you in a better place mentally.

3. Thank People with Notes

It may seem simple, but a personal note can mean so much to another person! You can thank someone with a text, DM, or take it a step further, and handwrite a note. Make the note more personal by adding the specifics of why you are saying thank you. This makes the thank you more genuine and heartfelt, rather than a generic thank you. If you are crafty, you could, even, make the card. Put your Cricut to good use!

This idea can, also, be used at your workplace. In fact, we are just starting this now at my school. For the month of November, we are encouraged to write a note of gratitude to other staff members and tape it on their door for them to see. There are already pre-made notecards in the mailbox room to make it easy to grab one and jot a note. It’s a great way to bolster staff morale right before the holidays when the days tend to get a little tougher, especially at a school!

4. Show Your Gratitude with Gifts

And I don’t mean go out there and spend all your hard-earned money on thank you gifts. The gifts you choose to give are up to you. It could be as simple as bringing a cup of coffee to a co-worker, leaving a treat for your significant other, or giving your students extra recess time. Like the last example, the gift doesn’t have to be tangible. Any gift will bring a smile to the recipients’ faces and, most likely, give you a warm feeling of goodness, too!

5. Volunteer in Your Community

Practicing gratitude can be shown and felt by volunteering in your community. In addition to the benefits of practicing gratitude, volunteering fosters a sense of belonging, shares a feeling of goodwill, and helps others in need. When thinking about a place to volunteer, the first place that may come to mind is volunteering to serve at a soup kitchen. While a wonderful place to volunteer, sometimes they get too many volunteers and don’t have any spots available. There are many alternatives. Look for a cause that speaks to you. A couple places I love to volunteer are my local animal shelter and for events in my neighborhood!

Conclusion

Hopefully, after reading this post, you’ll see how easy it is to practice gratitude and be inspired to choose one or more of these ways to start practicing gratitude today! Please share your stories in the comments. I look forward to reading them all. Stay tuned for next week’s post that will focus on activities for the classroom to inspire your students to practice gratitude, too!