With Thanksgiving arriving tomorrow I wanted to do a video around gratitude. Over the years all of us have read books, articles, blogs, watched news broadcasts, TV shows and social media outlets talking about the importance of gratitude.
Expressing gratitude makes you feel better. When you give thanks or express gratitude you increase the neurotransmitter dopamine, your body’s own feel good chemical!
You bring more of this feel good chemical into your life by practicing gratitude!
One of the best ways to practice gratitude is to get into the habit of expressing it as soon as you get up in the morning. Maybe you are grateful for your health, your spouse, your children, your home, your pets or you could simply say thank you for this new day.
This is something I have been doing for years as soon as my feet hit the floor when getting out of bed. It really sets the tone for the day and has brought me so many more blessings.
If you are someone who feels connected through prayer you could use that to express gratitude. Many times when people pray they focus on their own needs and struggles. Even if you are struggling, you could change your prayer to take on a more grateful tone and say something like “I am grateful for this challenge and the opportunity it will provide to help me grow.”
One easy question you can ask daily is “What went well today?” Most of us are programmed to look at what went wrong and spend hours in our head trying to fix it or figure out why it happened. Simply change the way you look at things and start with the good. Take time each night to write down 3 things that went really well, made you laugh, feel good or a goal you accomplished.
Another one of my favorite practices is a gratitude walk. Every morning I take my dog to the park, and as we walk, I express my gratitude for the beauty and nature that surrounds me. I acknowledge the warm sun on my face, the sound of the birds singing, the beautiful fall colors, the bunnies that cross my path and so on. By the time my walk is over, my heart is filled with gratitude.
These are just a few of my favorite ways to bring more gratitude into my life but there are so many more. Just choose what resonates with you!
I am going to end it with saying how grateful I am for you, and my hope is that you found this video helpful:)