Welcome to the Positive Pulse blog! Check in with us each month for tips on healthy living, right on our website. A short snippet will be featured in the NJSAP monthly newsletter as well, which you can sign up for here.
This month's topic is gratitude! It’s the perfect time of year to give thanks and focus on the things we are all grateful for. Try incorporating some of the following tips to practice gratitude in your daily life.
The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power. It even makes you happier, according to positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.
Create a Gratitude Ritual
Close your eyes and take a couple of minutes to think of the people and things you are grateful for.
Send a Thank-You Note
It’s nice to get a little note thanking you for something you did. You don’t need to send someone a formal thank-you card (although that’s a nice touch), but just a little note (or email) saying thank you for a specific thing the person has done for you can go a long way. And it only takes a minute!
Give a Hug
Only do this when appropriate… but if you have a loved one in your life, give them a hug. Often we can go too long without showing our affection and gratitude, even to those who are closest to us.
Give Thanks for Today
You don’t even have to thank a person… you can thank life itself. Wake up, and greet the day with gratitude. Be thankful you’re alive!
Do Someone a Favor
Without expecting anything in return, do something nice for someone. Just something small. Get them a drink or a coffee, do a chore for them, offer to do an errand, anything they’d appreciate, really. Think of what the person likes, wants or needs, and try to do something (even something small) to help them. Actions speak louder than words, and doing something nice will show you’re grateful more than just saying it.
Give a Little Gift
It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but a little gift can be a tremendous gesture.
Make a Gratitude List
Take 5 minutes and make a list of 10 or 50 things you love about someone, or things they’ve done for you that you appreciate.
Share Your Praise
Find a way to acknowledge the contributions of someone, to show your gratitude, in a public way: in your office, among friends and family, on your blog, in your local newspaper.
Surprise Someone with Kindness
This is similar to doing a favor, but with a twist: surprise the person. That little extra step of surprising them can make a big difference. When your wife comes home from work, have a lovely dinner prepared. When your mom walks out her front door in the morning, have her car nice and clean. When your daughter opens her lunch pail, have a little note and a treat waiting for her.
Say Thanks, Despite Negativity
This is the hard part. When things go wrong, when we’re not happy, when people are mean to us, when we are worn down by everyday life, we don’t want to say thank you. But in truth, this is the time when it matters most.
RESOURCES: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier
