How to Embody Gratitude This Thanksgiving and Everyday

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Last year’s Thanksgiving post gave you 5 Underrated Things to Be Grateful For. This year, we’re talking about how to embody gratitude for the items on that list and everything else you’re grateful for!

1- Keep a gratitude journal or another space to express what you’re grateful for, whether in writing, images, or both.

If you tend to opt for vision boards over journals, you can create a gratitude board! Whichever route you go, be sure to update it often with new things as you think of them. They can be the smallest things ever, but if they spark even a hint of gratitude in you, they deserve to be properly recognized. The more you catch yourself adding new things, the more you’ll realize just how much abundance you have in your life. On the days when you feel a sense of lack (wherever it may be coming from), looking back on this resource should give you a shift in perspective.

2- On that note, be mindful of your thoughts regarding what you do and don’t have.

Even if you don’t have everything you deeply desire just yet, all that you already have is proof of what’s possible for you. When you feel a lack of something, trust that it will come into your life when the time is right. When you catch yourself having intense negative thoughts about your life (ex: “I have nothing”, “nothing ever goes my way”, etc.), try to stop yourself and observe the thoughts from afar. Realize that thoughts aren’t always facts; they just reflect how we feel in a given moment.

Of course, you’re completely valid in feeling however you do at any time. It’s just important for your mental health not to let the destructive thoughts or cycles take over indefinitely. The longer they last, the harder it can become to get out of them. Aim to shift your focus to what you do have (refer to your journal or board from #1 as needed), as this will help the good in your life multiply!

3- Act on your gratitude regularly by fully immersing yourself in the things you’re grateful for.

What good is gratitude if it never gets unleashed? This looks different for different types of items on your list. As for the people, places, activities, hobbies, projects, etc. you listed, it can look like giving them more of your time, energy, and presence. As for the abstract concepts (such as those in last year’s Thanksgiving post that was referenced at the start of this post), it can look like taking advantage of and living by them.

For instance, let’s use the first item on that list—“the fact that you can change your life for the better at any time”. You can take advantage of this by changing your life in any way you’ve desired. Maybe it’s by changing jobs, career paths, social circles, styles, routines, sleep schedules, eating habits, mindsets, the list goes on. The point is, gratitude isn’t just a mindset; it’s also an action. The best way to embody it is by acting on it!

4- Give yourself more to be grateful for everyday.

Again, this can look a number of different ways. It can mean treating yourself to something nice that you’ve been wanting. Taking on a new hobby you’ve been curious to try. Doing something good for yourself that you know will give you a pick-me-up. Opening yourself up to new possibilities—socially, romantically, professionally, recreationally, the list goes on. Ultimately, you have the power to make your life whatever you want it to be (within the realm of reality, of course). So, why not make it practically impossible for yourself not to feel gratitude regularly?

The bottom line…

And there we have it, some simple ways to embody gratitude in your everyday life! As often as your gratitude may be tested by external forces, you can restore it by making a conscious effort to practice it. Embrace what you already have to be grateful for, and add to that list often. It’s all too easy to go through the motions in our everyday routines and take all that we have for granted. Hopefully this post helped change that for you, with practical tips you can start putting into action today!