Part of the beauty and magic of gratitude is the nearly infinite options that exist for tapping into gratitude’s positivity and transformational benefits. Let gratitude boost your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing by choosing different people to turn your appreciation to day by day. Our list below of gratitude techniques can keep your gratitude practice fresh as you mix and match them, per your preference, and as you add in some unique twists of your own!
Day 1: Use Your Voice
In our digital age of multiple devices, sometimes what gets lost in the shuffle is the sound of the human voice. Think about how quickly you can recognize the voice of a friend in just the two syllables of “hello.” Each voice carries its own vibrational signature that we respond to based upon the emotions of our shared history together. Imagine how much power an expression of gratitude can carry when it’s expressed through the pathway of the welcome sound of your voice in a friend’s or family member’s ears. This can take the form of a spontaneous phone call, a voicemail, or even an audio note or audio text.
Day 2: Choose a Kind Act
As it’s commonly said, sometimes actions speak louder than words. A beautiful and memorable way to express your appreciation to someone is to think of something that would mean a lot to them. It will be different for each person. For instance, someone who has a heavy work schedule and is rarely home might really appreciate you taking care of their yard work or making them a homecooked meal. Someone else might enjoy a ticket to a sports event, music concert, film, or local arts event. Remember it’s the thought that counts: something personalized like a bouquet of flowers from your own backyard can often mean more than an expensive gift. As long as your gesture of gratitude is heartfelt, it’s golden!
Day 3: Write It Out
Trying to think of a gratitude gift for someone who seems to have everything they need can be tricky. Expressing your appreciation in a sincere note can be the perfect solution! Whether you purchase a lovely card or send an email or text, the key is to spend a bit of time choosing your words with care to express your gratitude as fully as possible. If you want to dive deep, consider writing a full gratitude letter; that way you have more space to include examples of what you truly treasure about the person you’re writing to and the role they’ve played in your life.
Day 4: Create a Video
Don’t worry—you don’t need to have any special equipment or skills in filming to create a short gratitude video that will touch the heart of the recipient. While you may not realize it, being able to simply see your face and hear your voice will be a tremendous gift in itself. When you add a few words or sentences about what you appreciate about the person you’re sending it to, you instantly increase the video’s value exponentially. Do a couple “dress rehearsal” videos first if it helps you to feel more comfortable. And remember—it doesn’t have to be perfect; something authentic and heartfelt ups the sincerity factor, and a sincere expression is what gratitude is all about!
Day 5: Get Creative
If you’re someone who likes to express yourself creatively, there are endless possibilities for how you might convey your gratitude. Consider compiling a playlist, making a collage, drawing or painting, writing a poem or song, performing a dance or music, cooking a meal, or something else! The time, effort, and love you pour into your project will shine through and let the person you’re honoring feel how much you appreciate them and how they’ve helped you. Another pathway for creative expression of gratitude is to create something that captures five things you’re grateful for—you can share this on social media if you like or with a few close friends or family members if you prefer.
Day 6: Give a Shout-Out
Expressing your appreciation to someone in a public setting is not only a chance to offer heartfelt kudos to them for their kindness; it can also spark a gratitude revolution amongst your community, whether it be online or local. For instance, think how wide-reaching the ripples of a gratitude shout-out might be if you posted it on social media. Taking a few minutes in a meeting or a team or group gathering can have a similar impact. It doesn’t need to be a fancy speech; in fact, often a short and spontaneous expression can have even greater impact. Remember: less is more!
Day 7: Give a Hug
Giving a hug can be a perfect heartfelt way to express your appreciation to family and friends. The power of a hug is profound. Did you know that in addition to reducing stress, hugging has a wide range of benefits, from improving immunity and heart health to reducing pain and fear to boosting your mood? It’s true! And if you don’t feel comfortable with a hug, consider a visit. With all of the digital options we have for communicating, the old-fashioned in-person “hello” often gets skipped past. Being able to see someone’s face light up when you tell them how much you appreciate them or when you simply say hello is priceless.
If you decide to give yourself the gift of a week of gratitude practices, give yourself also the gift of pausing after the seven days to reflect on how you feel. Chances are you’ll feel an increase in happiness and self-esteem, a decrease in loneliness, and a boost in overall wellbeing. And if a week of gratitude worked out well for you, why stop at a week? Extend it into a gratitude month as a bonus while you have the momentum and multiply both community positivity and your own wellbeing!
Remember, too, that you don’t have to search high and low for huge things to be thankful for: being grateful for seemingly ordinary or small things, like a fresh piece of fruit at breakfast or seeing a glimpse of sunset, definitely count. As American freelance writer Robert Brault once said, “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
