Saying Thank You

Saying Thank You

 

Last year my family took the gratitude challenge. Everyday we wrote down 25 things that we were thankful for. Forty days later we had come up with over a thousand things we were thankful for. 

Did you know studies show that people who are in the practice of being thankful are:

1. 25% happier
2. get an extra half hour of sleep each night
3. exercise 33% more
4. have less stress
5. have stronger relationships

When we took the gratitude challenge no one in my family knew about these benefits. It wasn't until my sister did a school project about gratitude, that we found out. Looking back, I realize that I was really happy during our 40 days of gratitude. Here are some ideas for showing gratitude:

1. Write a thank you
2. Jot a few things down in a gratitude journal before hitting the hay or
3. Go over things you're thankful for in your head before bed
4. Thank each member of your family for a chore they do (for example, “thanks for taking out the trash,” or “this casserole is delicious, thanks for all your hard work”)
5. Go the extra mile to show your appreciation for someone on their birthday or special holidays like Mothers' Day
6. Put gratitude reminders around where you will see them
7. Try to stop the complaining (This is my weakness. The glass is usually half empty when I'm around.) and in its place talk positively.
8. Start a family list of things your grateful for. Make lists at dinner and put them around your house. When guests come over, have them join. One time my mom was interrogating a friend for things he was thankful for and he rattled of in a voice like a robot “friends, family, food, and fellowship.” My mom told him that was pathetic and could he be a little more specific. He then blurted out “gun rights!” If you searched through our 40 pages of thank you's, you will find “gun rights” penciled in somewhere.
   

How do you show gratitude?