Thank you… Merci… Gracias…Grazi…
How do you say thank you? It’s a proven fact that expressing gratitude changes your attitude in very positive ways. Psychologytoday.com says this about gratitude:
“Gratitude is an emotion expressing appreciation for what one has—as opposed to, for example, a consumer-driven emphasis on what one wants. Gratitude is getting a great deal of attention as a facet of positive psychology: Studies show that we can deliberately cultivate gratitude, and can increase our well-being and happiness by doing so. In addition, gratefulness—and especially expression of it to others—is associated with increased energy, optimism, and empathy.”
Who couldn’t use a little more energy, optimism, and empathy? Sign me up!
The holidays are just around the corner and Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to pause and reflect on the things in life for which you are grateful. But do yourself a favor and don’t stop when the holiday stops! Expressing gratitude can become a truly life-changing and beneficial daily practice.
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Here are 5 ways you can bring a little more gratitude into your heart and your home:
1. Write a thank you note.
Expressing your appreciation with a handwritten note will truly brighten your day and the day of someone else.
Making your own thank you cards really shows how much you care!
Sign up here to get your thank you card template to print out and color!
2. Start a Gratitude Journal.
I make a habit of adding three things I am thankful for into my bullet journal each morning. Even the simplest things can bring me joy. I try not to ever take a sunny day, a bird’s song, or a delicious cup of coffee for granted!
I’ve created a gratitude page you can print out to color, fill in, and save. You can download it here.
Download your free gratitude page and start a daily gratitude practice.
Print it out as many times as you wish, fill it out and put the pages in a pretty binder to review whenever you need a pick-me-up. If you want to take it even further, Thanksgiving is only 21 days away. It takes 21 days to establish a habit, so challenge yourself to make expressing gratitude part of your daily routine and see how terrific you feel by Thanksgiving!
3. Add a visual reminder in your home to be grateful every day.
I created this gratitude wall sign for just that reason. It’s a beautiful reminder to me that I have a lot to be thankful for whenever I start to feel blue. It’s also a perfect size to hang in a gallery wall display or above a tv or doorway or another piece of art, too!
4. Say “thank you.”
I know it may sound silly and painfully obvious, but just the act of saying “thank you” whenever someone shows you love or kindness can make you feel calm and joyful and makes them happy, too! Win-win !
5. Cultivate gratefulness.
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Set an example for your children and others. As someone once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” by pointing out and acknowledging all of the things we have to be grateful for in this world. Negative talk and complaining only serve to bring us all down.
What are YOU grateful for? Start your gratitude practice by sharing something you are grateful for in the comments below.
And don’t forget to print out your FREE printable thank you cards to color!
THANK YOU for stopping by. I’m so GRATEFUL you did 🙂
