Why Practice Gratitude?
Why practice gratitude? Because without it, we take our everyday lives for granted. When we stop to appreciate the health of loved ones, flushing toilets, the shoes on our feet, or a pen when we need one, we remember that these are noteworthy, not to be overlooked or taken for granted. Studies show that measures of life satisfaction, anxiety, depression, happiness, optimism, stress, sleep, and feelings of appreciation all improve with fairly simple gratitude interventions.
Gratitude practice also comes in handy when times are tough. Those who already practice gratitude are better able to handle stressful situations and setbacks, perhaps because their brains are already versed in seeing silver linings. They’ve put in the work and now are skilled with a gratitude attitude.
Gratitude Practices I Recommend for Parents and Kids:
Morning Gratitude
Do you wake up and start going through your to-do list in your head? Or dread the coming meeting? Most people do. When my kids were younger, and I was sleep-deprived, up at night nursing a baby, my chest would implode and my heart beat race when I heard my older one’s footsteps in the halls. Oh no… she’s awake. Now I have to wake up. Gratitude practice reframed this for me: Oh that’s the sweet pitter patter of my baby girl’s tiny little feet. I get to see her happy face. My mood was now uplifted, my chest ballooned, and my heart beat slowed.
Before jumping into to-do mode, try thinking of one thing you are grateful for every morning. Do this before you get out of bed and the day’s color may brighten two shades. With kids, you can incorporate this into the daily conversation over breakfast, during the car ride, or on the way to the bus stop.
Bedtime Gratitude
On your way to bed, your mind may re-play some of the day or start thinking about the coming day. Either in your head or in a bedside journal, jot three things you are grateful for and/or three things that were fun during the day. You do not have to get super deep. Sometimes I am grateful for a working dishwasher, a kid that did not have a meltdown today, a kid whose meltdown was more self-limited than the last one, a rainbow, the driver who let me switch lanes, a husband that took out the trash, new socks, finding the missing nailcutter, or finding the perfect lip gloss. Something fun could be a walk with a friend, the show I watched during a workout, dinnertime conversation, a spontaneous Taylor Swift dance party, or listening to a podcast and feeling like besties with Dax Shephard and Monica Padman. If three is overwhelming, start with one: one gratitude and one fun thing, like “grateful kids did not have homework today and I had fun running into Jenny at the cafe.”
This exercise can help clear your mind and set the scene for a good night’s sleep. Do it nightly to create the routine. Your brain will know to start prepping for the sleep ahead.
How to Keep Kids Involved
I teach my clients and my kids to start and end their days with gratitude. Other examples of incorporating gratitude into children’s lives include writing thank you notes together, stating gratitude around the dinner table or on the way to soccer practice, or journaling together. At bedtime, young children enjoy giving thanks for specific people in their lives. Start simple and let your children evolve their practice with you.
In Summary, Grateful You Read This!
- Research on gratitude shows improvements across multiple measures, including
happiness, resilience, mental health, and appreciation. - Gratitude exercises can be simple. I recommend opening and closing your day with
expressions of gratitude. You can do these in your head or by brief journaling. - Do the reps so the gratitude attitude becomes a mindset rather than a routine
Thank you for reading my human-generated and human-researched articles! If you found this helpful or educational, please share, follow on your preferred platform or subscribe below. For coaching or consultations, please contact me at www.DrAngel.com.
References:
Diniz, Geyze et al. “The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil) vol. 21 eRW0371. 11 Aug. 2023, doi:10.31744/einstein_journal/2023RW0371
Tolcher, Katherine et al. “Evaluating the effects of gratitude interventions on college student well-being.” Journal of American college health : J of ACH vol. 72,5 (2024): 1321-1325. doi:10.1080/07448481.2022.2076096
