When was the last time you took a deep breath and looked around with gratitude at all the amazing people and experiences in your life? Science has shown that taking just a few minutes a day to reflect in this way can significantly improve social, physical, and mental well-being.
Here are a few ways to add gratitude to your self-care toolbox and increase your feelings of hope, happiness, and peace:
- Say three things you’re grateful for out loud every morning when you wake up.
- Keep a gratitude journal and jot down five things you’re grateful for just before you fall asleep at night.
- Tell your friends and family how grateful you are to have them in your life.
- Try a gratitude meditation to reflect on things you are thankful for.
- Find inspirational quotes online and hang them on your refrigerator where they can remind you of the good things in life.
- Make a gratitude jar, write down something you’re grateful for on a small slip of paper, and tuck it into the jar. Then watch it fill up with all the amazing things in your life!
- Write a letter—by hand, if you can—to someone special in your life that you are thankful for. For extra good feelings, hand deliver the letter to the person.