Giving thanks every once in a while is nice, but practicing gratitude on a regular basis is life-changing. Taking the time to write out what you’re grateful for, or going out of your way to give someone sincere thanks has actually been proven to increase positive emotions and decrease negative ones. (According to Forbes grateful people also “experience fewer aches and pains” and sleep better.) 

One of the ways we practice gratitude daily is by journaling; Dianna loves the Five Minute Journal to stay in the habit and keep things organized. Other ways to practice are writing a nice handwritten note to a friend (is there anything better than receiving physical mail?), setting aside five minutes every night to reflect on the day’s gratitudes, or paying it forward by doing something nice for others, like holding the door open for a stranger or buying coffee for the person behind you at the shop. 

No matter how you practice it, let’s all commit to practicing gratitude in one way or another every day this week. It’s likely you’ll find the more you start to name the things and people you’re grateful for in life, the more those things will appear. 

𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵-𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘷𝘳𝘦,𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 (1808)