Being Thankful

     In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought a blogpost about gratitude would be appropriate. One of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2018 was to write down 2-3 things that I am grateful for every day. I had read an article about the benefits of gratitude, such as increased energy, reduced anxiety, and even improved sleep. More importantly, I just wanted to acknowledge all of the people and things that I have in my life that I sometimes forget to be thankful for. For the first month of the year, I wrote in my gratitude journal religiously. I have a tendency to stray from my New Year’s Resolutions after a month or two, and this one was no different than my past forgotten resolutions. When I had a lot on my plate, I forgot to write in my journal. Recently, I’ve tried to readopt the habit of writing down a couple of things I’m thankful for every day. I learned that it’s especially important that I stick with it when I’m busy. By acknowledging all of the amazing aspects of my life, my stress is greatly reduced. Since I’ve been neglecting my gratitude journal, I decided to dedicate this blog post to remind myself of everything I’m thankful for. The first things that come to mind when I think about what I’m thankful for are my friends and family. They provide never-ending support, love, and laughter. I’m appreciative of my health and the wellness of my loved ones. I’m thankful that my parents drive me to school and pick me up every day, especially now that it’s so cold outside. I’m grateful for the opportunity to go to school and learn, even with the occasional stressful studying session. I’m thankful for sleep, whether it’s a short power nap or a full 10 hours. I’m thankful for my comfortable, warm bed. I’m grateful for my warm winter coat. I’m thankful for rainy days when I can curl up with a good book at home. The list of things I’m thankful for is endless, and I want to make an effort to acknowledge things I take for granted on a day-to-day basis. I’ve learned that gratitude isn’t about throwing around “thank you”s. It’s about truly appreciating the things I have and the people around me. Certainly, it is nice to say “thank you” to let people know that they are appreciated, but that is not the foundation of gratitude.

I encourage you to reflect on what your grateful for, especially if you need a mood booster or a stress reliever.

See this site to read about some of the benefits of gratitude:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/#6dca09f7183c