Thanksgiving Day is more than a day of fond memories, parades, football and special dinners. It is also a day of contemplating what you are grateful for and giving thanks. Unfortunately, for too many people the meaning of Thanksgiving ends with spending a few moments of giving thanks at the dinner table.
Experts who study human brain activity say giving thanks for the little things in your life on a daily basis will rewire your brain in a lasting, positive way. In early 2016, a preliminary study found that a full three months after writing a series of thank you letters, volunteer subjects still showed increased sensitivity in the gratitude-related part of the brain.
Below are five easy ways to set your gratitude on default and reap the benefits that will enrich your daily life.
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- Small acts of kindness
We tend to associate gratitude with capital letters: Family, Friends, Home, Health and Work. But over time, focusing only on these big items can make them lose meaning. Look around you for surprising little acts of kindness you don’t always take notice of in the moment. Maybe a stranger held the door open for you when your hands were full. Or your spouse made coffee for you when you overslept for work. We tend to take these things for granted, but think of how much more difficult or unpleasant your day would have been without those small acts of kindness.
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- Put gratitude in writing
One of the most studied methods of feeling more grateful is keeping a gratitude journal. To get the most out of this practice, don’t rush through the process simply to go through the motions. Contemplate why you feel grateful and be as specific as possible. (Experts suggest writing three to five things per day). Maybe your new neighbor pulled your empty garbage cans up from the curb for you. Or a parent who had been battling illness had a good day. In one study, subjects who wrote five sentences about one positive item from their day got more of a gratitude boost than those who wrote one sentence about five different things.
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- Stop, notice, appreciate and savor
These are the key words you can use throughout your day to find something to be grateful for. Stop and look around you. Do you notice a beautiful, blue sky? Smell the delicious scent from a nearby bakery? See the neighbors who always bring by yummy holiday cookies? Finally, savor something small about each day. Maybe a small piece of chocolate, the fact you remembered to pay a bill on time or a lucky penny you found on the ground.
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- There's an app for that!
You’ve probably heard there’s an app for just about everything and gratitude is no exception. The app Gratitude Journal pings you with prompts to get you thinking about all you could appreciate. It also has the option of instantly sharing your posts with friends to spread your good feelings to others. UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center developed a website called thnx4.org to act as an electronic storagehouse of positivity. Scroll through the website when you are looking for something to be grateful for. You can post your own thoughts or just read through others’ posts for a feel-good boost to your day.
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- Verbally acknowledge your gratitude
When you have the opportunity to express your appreciation to another person, do it in a way that acknowledges the action of the giver rather than how their act makes you feel. Phrase your thanks in a way that recognizes the other person’s efforts or the qualities you like most about them. “Thank you so much for the scarf! Not only did you remember my favorite color, but the fact that I get cold at work and had nothing to warm up with.” It strategically puts the “you” in “thank you.” It can also strengthen your bond, which will give you more reasons to give thanks and appreciate each other in the future.
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