Once November hits us, so does the pressure! No, we don’t mean the pressure to shop for holiday gifts, or think of a great turkey recipe for Thanksgiving dinner, but the pressure to feel grateful. We devote so much time and energy into planning for the holidays ahead, that often we overlook taking the time to nurture our mental and emotional well being. Cultivating gratitude is a proven way to feel better and happier, so we thought we’d share our top four tips on how to experience genuine gratitude every day.
1. Look for what’s good: The mind can be like a magnet for both positive and negative things, and very often we let our minds focus too much on what stressed us out. Instead of that, try to focus your mind on what’s good around you in the precise moment that you are in, whether it’s someone’s brightly colored scarf, or a nice cool breeze, keep your attention on those things around you that make you feel good.
2. Gratitude Journal: One of our favorite tricks for feeling grateful is keeping a gratitude journal, and writing down at least 5 things that we are grateful for every day. At the end of the year you can look through it and physically experience the bounty of life by flipping through page after page of your self-expressed gratitude. Another version of this would be a jar that you slowly fill up with with colorful post-its full of what you’re thankful for (and it makes for super cute desk decor!)
3. Say it out loud: There is no better way to reconnect with old friends or reignite old friendships than by offering a quick thank you for everything they’ve offered to your life. Whether you send a handwritten note, or simply send a cute meme over Facebook, sharing your gratitude with another not only strengthens your bond, but adds to your experience of gratitude by including others in it.
4. Helping Others: There are as many ways to help out others as there are people on this planet that need help! Whether it’s through work with an official charity or simply a shopping trip for an elderly or disabled neighbor, self sacrifice is the fastest road to gratitude that we know. A great resource for finding volunteer opportunities in your area is VolunteerMatch.org, a website specializing in matching people to volunteer options that are close to their areas and their hearts. And if you’re hard pressed for ideas on where to help out, don’t forget noya’s alliance with the National Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) Council to distribute free lip balm to homeless and low income people. For every lip balm you purchase and send a photo of, noya will donate one to the National HCH Council, while supplies lasts.
We hope these suggestions help you to dedicate just a few minutes a day to cultivating gratitude, and spark your imagination to find your own ways to fill yourself with the joy of gratitude. Let us know what you like to do to stay upbeat, positive and full of thanks, and as always, live divinely!
