Editor's note: We're sharing this post, originally published in November 2019, to urge all of us to find a few moments of gratitude each day.
It's the season of gratitude.
Pie, folks, is an early bedtime potential since the sun sets at 4:00 p.m. It's easy to feel the warm fuzzy of gratitude Holidays. But what about 300 days on some other day of the year? Let's keep those good feelings of gratitude going throughout the seasons with these 10 super easy ways to increase appreciation every day.
How to practice gratitude in your daily life:
1. Keep a – you guessed it – gratitude journal.
Let's get out of the way. Oprah is a fan, and that's enough to make this #1. Journaling in which you write down the things you're grateful for trains your thoughts from focusing on what you don't have to what you do. Keep paving this neuropathic path, and in the end, the hope is at least, that your mind will naturally direct to the grateful one, not woe to me.
trick Keep a gratitude journal Take care of your surroundings to keep them as a habit. Pick a notepad you won't hate looking at day in and day out, find a home for it on your bedside table, and set aside a time of day when you always write. brief. Even a couple of points is enough to get back at him once a day that he inevitably tries to kick you down. To avoid running out of ideas, be specific:
+ Things that make your life easier
+ What do you like about your area
+ People who are your leaders in life
+ What do you value in the current season
+ Family traditions for which you are grateful
2. Keep the mantra close.
Use your desktop wallpaper, phone background, and office space to constantly remind yourself of positive thoughts. What Happened to Post-Its on Bathroom Mirrors? The more you see it, the more you believe it.
"We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." - Dolly Parton
3. Spend money where it counts.
Every penny you spend has power. Paying your Comcast bill may not fulfill anyone's lifelong dreams, but buying preserves at the farmers market might. You can order a box of screws from Amazon, but how about supporting your local hardware store instead? Buying from small businesses = connecting with your community = making someone's day. Which, in turn, will add to your thanks for having the wonderful, caring, and knowledgeable homeowners in your area when you inevitably mess something up in your bathroom renovation and realize Amazon.com just doesn't give you a clue.
4. Use your manners, even when you don't seem to.
Waving to that person who let you merge when you shouldn't have because zipper integration is not very much used in certain Minnesotan parts of the world. If your server asks how you are, don't immediately demand to know what the soup of the day is. Hold the door for the crappy old man. It's the little things. You never know what someone is going through and you never know what a small gesture could mean to them.
5. Venmo is a $5 friend.
"Coffee is on me today. I love you."
6. Pause before meals.
Isn't prayer for you? that's cool. How about a simple second to acknowledge that a farmer planted these tomatoes then a driver drove them to the co-op and a worker stocked the shelves and your partner did your shopping on Tuesday when your meeting was running late and now you're about to stuff those tomatoes in your mouth. Slowing down and acknowledging all the effort that went into putting food on your plate will make three times a day more rewarding.
“You can't do kindness too soon, because you never know when it will be too late.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
7. Scan your body.
The blood is pumping and you can hardly feel it. Air fills your lungs whether you're awake or not. When you want to feel like you're on the floor, do the following: lie on the floor and feel the weight of your body on the floor. Pay attention to the essentials of the big picture—your legs get you from room to room, your fingers write love notes, your arms could cradle a baby—and all your cellulite/acne/weight snarls mute themselves.
8. Leave the surprises to yourself.
Somewhere at the bottom of my bag is a pebble from a Portuguese beach. Once a week or so, I stumble upon it and think of those days, with that sun and those caipirinhas. I use business cards from places I've traveled to as bookmarks. Little day-makers have a way of revealing themselves just when the universe decides you need it most. Leave digital or physical notes for yourself—in your calendar, on your phone, in the margins of your books—to motivate your Future You with notes of gratitude from your Past You.
9. Decorate a gratitude tree.
Sorry to say, but Target's latest decorating creations are anything but beautiful. Maybe instead, go the route of my friend, who decorates his Christmas tree with Polaroids of his friends. How sweet is that? Almost sweet enough to leave on all year long.
10. Surround yourself with meaningful items.
A picture of my beloved preschool daughter with her tongue stuck out was the last thing I saw before I left my house each day. Valentine's Day that made me a little kid tucked in my purse. A friend who lives halfway across the world scribbled it to me on a napkin slowly fading into a frame. A blanket my mother had knitted over my bed.
Get an idea? Small, tangible reminders for the ones you love remind you of why you are on this earth. I am grateful that you are here, I am grateful that I am here, I am grateful that a pebble from the Portuguese beach is here. Happy season of warm fools and friends.
Megan is a writer, editor, etc. She cares about the life, design, and travel of Domino's, Lonny, Hunker, and more. Her rules of life include, but are not limited to: a zipper on incorporation, a cash tip and contribution to your IRA. Become a friend and subscribe to her newsletter night vision or follow them Instagram.
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