Counting your blessings improves your Mental Wealth
Being thankful can make us feel good. Appreciating what we have, instead of focussing on what we don’t have, is a very important part of our mental wellbeing.
Evidence shows that practising gratitude makes us more aware of things that make us grateful and happy! It can also help you:
- get on better with friends and family
- have less negative self-talk
- be more generous
- sleep better
- increase your resilience
- get through tough times
How to grow gratitude
Keep a gratitude diary
Answer these three simple questions at the end of each day or each week, and write in your diary. If you don’t like writing, you can also take a photo. When you’re feeling like you need a pick-me-up, go back and read all the wonderful things happening in your life.
What three things are you grateful for today?
What are you most looking forward to tomorrow?
Who should I have said thank you to today?
Do the ‘Thank-you’ challenge
Challenge yourself, how many times a day you can say thank you to someone, even for a small thing. Learn from your gratitude diary.
Random Acts of Kindness
Find chances to do special things for people – hold their door open, carry their bags, buy them a coffee.
Just say it.
Tell friends and family all of the things you are grateful for. If you are a bit shy at first, email or text them – wait for the positive reply! Sometimes gratitude can be shown though a compliment. For example: “Mum, this is the best feed! Exactly what I felt like.”