If you’re in the US like me, we all know it’s that time of year. The weather is cooling down, there are pumpkins all around us, and practicing gratitude is more prevalent than ever.
Today, I want to share with you three easy ways to practice gratitude – not only this season, but all year long too!
1. Saying “Thank You!”
It’s the most obvious thing, but it is so easily overlooked. Saying the 2 simple words “thank you” can really brighten up someone’s day!
I used to be really bad at remembering to say thank you, especially in high school and early college. It wasn’t until a friend gave me some feedback that I realized that I was making a poor impression by not saying “thank you” as often as I probably should have.
Ever since then, I make a really conscious effort to say thank you to those that help me out, no matter the circumstance. This is definitely a habit I’m still working on, but I am proud to say that I am much better at it than before.
If you’re curious if you’re peers see you as having a grateful mindset, you can try asking those that you spend the most time with what their top 3 words to describe you would be. This is a less intimidating way to have other’s give you feedback since they’re only listing a few words. Many people are hesitant to provide constructive feedback because they don’t want to sound too harsh, but this way they can provide concise information to you.
Regardless of how you ask for feedback, you can use the information they give you to try and form more habits to practice gratefulness. It can really help your attitude and overall mindset as well!
2. Writing a Thank-You Note
The art of writing a handwritten thank-you note is definitely slipping away in our digital age. However, I still think that it is one of the most important gestures that you can do for someone to show that you are grateful.
I usually buy a pack of thank-you notes from either Walmart or Target (these are my current favorites) to keep on hand for whenever I need them. I also keep a book of stamps on hand (again, something I buy at Walmart) in case I need to mail them out.
Writing a thank-you note can give a lot of people anxiety, but I like to use a pretty basic formula for writing out mine to make it easier (adapted from Hallmark’s guide):
- Salutation/Greeting – start with something simple like “Dear ____,”
- Say thank you – the 1st real part of my message always starts with “Thank you for ______”. It’s the reason you are writing the note in the 1st place!
- Give a specific detail of how you benefited – did someone send you a gift for something you really needed? Did they provide you a service that helped you overcome a problem? Tell them how their help, gift, etc. is important to you.
- Lookahead – mention if you are going to see this person again soon. For example, if your manager got you a sponsorship for an upcoming conference, you could say “I look forward to telling you all about my conference experience when I return.” If you aren’t seeing this person again soon, at least let them know they’re in your thoughts. For example, if you got a one-time computer service from someone, you could say “I’ll remember your help whenever I turn on my laptop, and I’ll be sure to forward your information along to anyone else I know that is having computer troubles.”
- Say thank you again – like I said before, it is the whole reason you are writing the note in the 1st place, and you can never say thank-you too many times.
- Wrap it up with your regards – I generally sign with “Sincerely, Sammy”, but you can get creative here depending on your audience.
I always like to get a mailing address for someone if I can, but if I can’t, I’ll try to hand them their thank-you note in person. It can actually be a little easier this way since you know that the recipient actually got your note!
If you don’t have a physical mailing address, and you won’t be able to see that person again soon, you can definitely adapt this method for an email or direct message to someone. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to let them know you are grateful for them, regardless of the method of communication.
3. Keeping a Gratitude Journal/Log
I don’t currently keep a gratitude journal, but it is something I’ve done in the past and plan to pick back up soon. Writing down at least 1 thing a day that you are grateful for really can help in keeping a positive mindset, even when things aren’t going so well.
There are a few ways to do this, whether its digitally on an app or in a physical notebook. I plan to pick up a gratitude journal soon so that I can start working on this new habit.
I recently saw this poem about gratitude, and it really shifted my mindset on certain things that used to give me a lot of stress and anxiety.
No matter the circumstances, there is something to be grateful for. The act of recording it each day can help remind us of that.
Practicing gratitude can be easy to do when we have a day dedicated to it, such as Thanksgiving, but remember all year long is a different challenge. I hope these three tips can help you make gratitude a habit rather than a chore, or even worse, something that is simply forgotten. You’ll be surprised how much a difference it can make in boosting your mood!
How do you practice gratefulness?