With Thanksgiving around the corner, expressing thanks and appreciation is top of mind for many of us. And while cultivating an “attitude of gratitude” has well-being benefits all year round, now is the perfect time to jumpstart a more intentional gratitude practice in our day-to-day lives.
Making gratitude part of our everyday routine is a simple yet incredibly effective way to develop a more optimistic attitude, lessen stress, and uplift those around us. Gratitude gives us perspective and can even help us stick to better habits. In fact, researchers have found that gratitude can help us improve our sleep and lead to better eating.
Best of all, practicing gratitude doesn’t have to take a lot of time, or come in the form of grand gestures. Acts of gratitude can be small, like saying thank you to a co-worker. Similarly, when reflecting on things you’re grateful for, you can also find gratitude for your everyday experiences — having a warm bed to sleep in, seeing a beautiful sunset, or sitting down to a nutritious meal.
As you begin your next 21-day Challenge, we encourage you to make gratitude a focal point. Get some inspiration from the Better Gratitude Choices below, and try one (or a few!) during your next Challenge. Then, submit your Challenge story for a chance to be selected as one of at least 15 monthly $5,000 winners. You’ve got this!
Download the Thrive ZP App here to get started, or if you already have the app, open it to choose a Better Gratitude Choice to try this season!
Offer to cook a Thanksgiving side dish for a friend or family member who could use an extra hand, and drop it off at their home.
Next time you go to the grocery store, purchase a food or personal care item you can donate to a local food bank or community organization.
Call a family member or a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while, and let them know how much they mean to you.
Each morning when you wake up, identify something you are grateful for before reaching for your phone.
Each night at dinner, invite your family members to share one thing they are grateful for. You can make this a fun Thanksgiving dinner activity, too!
If you’re feeling stressed or down on yourself, think of something positive you did today, and thank yourself for it.