Thankfulness

Thankfulness

Question # 1 What can you be thankful for?

3 things to be thankful for 1. People who are kind to you.

2. That you have the possibility to take a walk in a beautiful place.

3. That you are not a dinosaur. If you were a dinosaur, you would not live.

http://www.countryliving.com/life/a36880/what-country-living-readers-are-thankful-for/ https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/awesome-8-thanksgiving/ http://www.oprah.com/spirit/oprahs-gratitude-journal-oprah-on-gratitude https://today.uic.edu/i-am-thankful http://ei.yale.edu/what-is-gratitude/

Question # 2 What are benefits of thanking people?

There is a strong link between positive emotions and the prevention of diseases - including heart disease and cancer.

https://thriveglobal.com/stories/say-thank-you-the-five-ways-gratitude-enriches-lives/

A study of couples found that individuals, who took time to express gratitude for their partner, not only felt more positive toward the other person but also felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/in-praise-of-gratitude

When we think about and communicate what we are thankful for in our lives, we become happier.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/#14da1789183c https://www.mindful.org/gratitude-changes-brain/ https://pathways.org/blog/7-ideas-encourage-children-to-be-thankful/

More grateful people sleep better.

https://www.ft.com/content/31c3e5bc-b660-11e6-961e-a1acd97f622d https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/is_gratitude_good_for_your_health http://tremendo.us/work/the-science-of-gratitude/

Regular expressions of gratitude can

increase a person’s self worth.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.716.5248&rep=rep1&type=pdf https://medium.com/amp/p/3cf0002510fe

Research shows that high school students, who score high on gratitude, have more friends and higher grades.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sack-md/gratitude_b_2277960.html

Cultivating a sense of gratitude helps you to feel more

connected with friends and family.

https://www.ft.com/content/31c3e5bc-b660-11e6-961e-a1acd97f622d http://tremendo.us/work/the-science-of-gratitude/

Unlike other positive emotions like hope and happiness, gratitude is inherently relational. Gratitude acknowledges connection.

It reaches past the person experiencing it and into the social realm.

http://ei.yale.edu/what-is-gratitude/

Question # 3 What are benefits of feeling appreciated?

Feeling appreciated makes us feel safe, which frees us to do our best work.

https://hbr.org/2012/01/why-appreciation-matters-so-mu

Senders of thank-you letters underestimate how positive recipients feel about receiving the letters, and how surprised they are by the content.

https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/07/18/underestimating-the-power-of-gratitude-recipients-of-thank-you-letters-are-more-touched-than-we-expect/

Question # 4 What are some exercises to practice thankfulness?

Take a thought walk and focus your mind on what

you appreciate, for example sounds of birds and/or water.

https://www.ft.com/content/31c3e5bc-b660-11e6-961e-a1acd97f622d

To practice appreciation, try starting with yourself. At the end of the week, for example on Sunday morning, ask yourself this question:

“What do I feel proud of having done this week?�

Say thank you to yourself for having done that.

Adapted from https://hbr.org/2012/01/why-appreciation-matters-so-mu

Write a thank you letter to a person you have never really thanked. A gratitude letter provides a strong and long-lasting happiness boost, especially when it is delivered in person.

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/gratitude/definition#how_to_cultivate

Tell people in your life what you appreciate about them.

https://youtu.be/JMd1CcGZYwU

Make a thank you box for your household and put a note in it once a week. On the note, write something that she / he is thankful for in life. On Sunday morning, everyone reads the notes for each other.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/understand-other-people/201209/nothing-be-thankful

When you have friends over for a meal, try this: On the back of each place card, write what you would like to thank the person for.

Not only does it teach thankfulness, it will make your guests feel special.

https://www.kidnurse.org/6-fun-activities-teach-thankfulness-thanksgiving/