It’s finally November! And that means it is the kick off to the holiday season of 2018! Whether you love or hate the holidays, there is one thing that we can all start doing right now to make our holiday season one to remember.
Practice gratitude.
Our society has become more and more focused on what we don’t have, what we want, materialistic items, money and more. We don’t tend to see or appreciate what is right in front of us.
Every store, commercial, and ad is already trying to sell us something for the holiday season. What is most important, and what most of us tend to forget, is how to be grateful. Being grateful is not something that just comes automatically. It’s something that needs to be practiced just like any other habit or skill you want to become successful in.
How can being grateful impact us?
Some studies even show that people who practice gratitude more often, experience less aches and pains and tend to keep themselves in better health. Gratitude also helps us hold onto the positive emotions in our brains (thankfulness, appreciation, happiness), and lets go of the negative ones (like anger, frustration, and jealousy).
People who are more grateful are more empathetic, have higher self esteem, and even sleep better according to this article on Forbes.com.
So how do you begin to practice gratitude? Here are some wonderful suggestions by Tchiki Davis over on Psychology Today.
5 steps to start practicing gratitude today!
Some of her suggestions are:
- Make a gratitude list
- Write gratitude notes
- Write a gratitude letter to someone
- Track three good things
- Make a gratitude drawing
At Biltmore Psychology and Counseling we are going to commit to practicing gratitude daily. We have some exciting new blog posts and YouTube videos coming soon on the topic as well, so stay tuned!
We want to know, what do you do to stay grateful? Let us know in the comments on Facebook or YouTube, or you can send us an email at [email protected] !
