“When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.” ——Kristin Armstrong, Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist
Two words—“Thank You”—can change the trajectory of your life. How can such a short phrase be so powerful? “Thank you” is the key that unlocks the gateway to gratitude. And while most of us may tend to think of saying “thank you” upon receiving a gift or tend to think of what we’re grateful for at a time like Thanksgiving, infusing gratitude into your daily life can have phenomenal results with benefits spanning the realm of physical, mental, and emotional health.
Gratitude’s Transformational Power
Though it may feel impossible that simply thinking, feeling, writing, and voicing appreciation could trigger measurable beneficial results, researchers are finding that’s exactly the case. Gratitude, it turns out, is much more than a feel-good emotion—it’s a transformational psychophysiological experience that boosts our physical, mental, and emotional health. There are so many different forms that gratitude can take, from writing a note of gratitude to speaking your words of appreciation aloud in person, over the phone, in an audio note, or in a video call to keeping a gratitude journal to expressing your gratitude in an act of kindness. The benefits of gratitude are similarly diverse, ranging from improving immunity, mood, and sleep to decreasing chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. Clearly, it’s worth it to give gratitude a try, especially as it’s available 24/7, doesn’t take much time, and is essentially free!
Embrace Gratitude with a Week of Giving Thanks
To welcome gratitude into your life with open arms, consider devoting a week to appreciating the amazing folks in your life. Feel free to activate the seven-day guide in any order you like or to even swap out some of our suggestions with ideas of your own!
Day 1: Thank a Family Member
An interesting irony is that we often take for granted those whom we’re closest to, like family; similarly, those who help us out the most and who bring the most joy into our lives can often receive our worst rather than our best. Take a moment to think of just one of your family members. Let your mind and heart fill with moments where you felt cared for, listened to, supported, and uplifted by them. Make today a day that you express your appreciation to this person in some way, shape, or form, letting them know how your life would be utterly different without their bright presence in your life!
Day 2: Thank an Ancestor
While it can definitely be healing to keep our attention in the present moment and embrace the “here and now,” it can also be deeply rejuvenating to tap into appreciation for those from the past who have made it possible for us to be here today. Consider for a moment how much you know about your ancestors. Whether you have an entire genealogical chart or biography of one of your ancestors or know only their first name, thinking about how they paved the way for you to exist can generate some gratitude right away. Go further if you like and consider the traditions, skills, or traits you may have inherited from them that you’re thankful for. There is a wide range of ways to express your gratitude, from a silent conversation to looking at their photo or an object that they owned to visiting the land where they lived to asking elders in your family what they recall about that individual. Connect with them across time and space in whatever feels good to you!
Day 3: Thank a Mentor or Teacher
Where would we be without the mentors or teachers in our life? From professors to teachers from elementary school years to business coaches to counselors to sports coaches to vocational mentors to music teachers to culinary teachers to life coaches and more, we are nourished by those who share their experience and wisdom with us, both informally and formally. Taking time to remember these guides in our life and reflect upon how they’ve shaped our lives can lead us into a new awareness and appreciation of how different our lives might be if these individuals had not come onto the main stage of our life. Today, choose a person from some area of your life who has inspired you, taught you new things, challenged you to grow, or all of the above, and reach out to them to give a warm hello. To the degree that you feel comfortable, let them know how much you appreciate their role in your life. After all, the people who have influenced us the most often have very limited insight into the impact they’ve had.
Day 4: Thank a Friend
In the midst of some of the greatest struggles of our life, often it’s the voice, hug, listening ear, shoulder to cry on, or humorous antics of a friend that are our saving grace. Friends just make life more enjoyable all the way around. But just like we can take our family members’ amazing presence in our life for granted, it’s also easy to lose perspective on how different our life would be without our friends around, especially if we’re seeing or communicating with them daily. As a way of connecting with your gratitude for one of your pals today, surprise them with something you know they’ll love, perhaps their favorite dessert or a story or film that will make them laugh until their sides hurt, just to make 100% certain they know how much you truly value and treasure their presence in your life.
Day 5: Thank a Neighbor
Every day as we head out to work or take our afternoon walk or leave to run errands, we inevitably pass those who live nearby, or at least pass by their nearby homes or apartments. But how often do we pause to greet our neighbors or to engage in a conversation? Having good neighbors is a bit like having an extended family close by. What peace of mind it brings to know that you can give them a call or knock on their door to ask a quick question, borrow a missing ingredient, to carpool, to arrange a playdate for your children or pets, and much more! Having people you can count on nearby also lends a considerable sense of safety and security. After years of sharing the same street with others, though, they can begin to become so familiar that they can become part of the backdrop or scenery to the point that we begin not to notice. Consider taking a moment today as a gesture of friendship and gratitude to send your neighbors a text, leave them a note, or leave something on their front step that will bring a smile.
Day 6: Thank an Artist
Have you ever had a time when your basic needs of food, water, and shelter were taken care of but something was clearly missing from your life? And then a certain song came on the radio or you viewed a certain photograph or painting and all was well in your world again? The ability of creative expression to transform our mind and heart is extraordinary. Just a few moments are all it takes to be transported out of our own thoughts and worries into uplifting realms that can turn, at least temporarily, burnout into bliss. But how often do composers, choreographers, musicians, visual artists, and other creatives hear about the role their creations are playing in people’s lives? Let today be the day that you write an email, send a card, or post something online to express your thanks. Even short phrases of appreciation can warm the heart of the artist and even inspire them to make new creations!
Day 7: Thank Mother Nature
The beauty of nature is like a song you never get tired of hearing with each verse offering a new delight, from sunlit canyons to crystal-clear oceans to mountain forests to wide-open plains. Closer to home, the colorful petals of a flower or the vibrant wings of a butterfly can take our breath away. Not to mention the gorgeous songs of the birds and the fragrances of fresh herbs like rosemary, sage, and basil. Truly, nature is a source of rejuvenation as its beauty uplifts our spirits and soothes our stress. It’s easy to slip into not even really notice the familiar landscape as you stroll along routine routes day after day, year after year. For a quick entry into gratitude today, challenge yourself to pause at least three times today to simply notice and appreciate the natural environment.
As you embark upon your week of gratitude, remember to have fun! If it feels like too much pressure to honor a different person each day, change it up to celebrate one of the days sometime during the space of a full week, and then choose another of the seven days of gratitude to celebrate the next week, and so on. As long as you’re keeping the gratitude flowing, you’re doing it right!
