Episode #25 - Practicing Gratitude

• Timeliness of Thanksgiving, Covid-19 & practicing gratitude
• What is gratitude? Expressing thanks for something in your life whether it’s tangible or intangible
• Is it harder or easier to practice gratitude during Covid?
• Contentment vs. Complacency
  • Contentment is a state of happiness or satisfaction. Gratitude and contentment go hand in hand.
  • Complacency – being self-satisfied or secure in a given situation, often unaware of negative realities or harmful possibilities
• Benefits of practicing gratitude:
  • Trains your mind to place more energy on the positive instead of immediately going to a negative
  • Provides motivation to keep moving forward towards life goals (this goes back to when we discussed celebrating small wins)
  • Improves your overall physical health
  • Builds self-esteem
  • Boost immune system
  • Mental health benefits
  • Improves relationships
  • Sets a positive example for your children or those around you to do the very same.
• 7 simple ways to practice gratitude:
  • Gratitude journal
  • Send a note to a friend thanking them for their friendship
  • Take a moment to enjoy the outdoors
  • Take turns at the dinner table to acknowledge something you’re grateful for
  • Thank your spouse for something they did for you that day or week (discuss some examples)
  • Embrace challenges and turn them into opportunities to grow (challenge of 2020 did we choose to grow, learn something new or crumble?)
  • Gratitude jar (place notes in a jar of things you are grateful for and take one out when you need a reminder or having a challenging time