Happy Thanksgiving week!

In honor of the holiday, this week’s newsletter is dedicated to gratitude and some of the different ways to practice gratitude that are not journaling or making lists, which are both great but don’t always resonate with everyone or can sometimes feel like another to-do item.

Actually, expressing or finding gratitude, which has a number of health benefits, can sometimes be more subtle or more easily woven into everyday life than we might imagine. You might even be more appreciative than you realize.

Below are several practices for finding and expressing gratitude that you might already be doing or might want to try:

Compliment someone.

A genuine compliment can show appreciation for the place that someone holds in your life.

For example, complimenting someone for the sense of coziness or warmth they’ve created in their home could be a way of thanking them for not only creating an uplifting environment but also for inviting you to enjoy it as well.

Avoid comparison.

In comparing our lives to others we can sometimes diminish the things that are going well in our own lives, or we might start to think that what is going well is not as good as what someone else might have.

By avoiding comparison, which can be difficult, and instead focusing on our own side of the street and what we have to appreciate, we are more likely to notice the good in our lives, and that can create a positive feedback loop. In essence, the feeling of gratitude stimulates the release of dopamine, which then increases feelings of joy and contentment.

So finding the good can help us to feel good, which can then incentivize us to continue to look for the good and maybe even adopt a more appreciative mindset.

Celebrate your wins.

Another way to practice gratitude is to reflect back on your victories and successes, even the “small” ones.

In fact, making a practice of celebrating seemingly small victories, like leaving work on time rather than staying late or learning something new, can be a way of showing yourself appreciation and thanks for putting in the effort to achieve those wins.

And if we can do this consistently, as opposed to only when we achieve something big or reach a milestone moment, then we can build in a regular gratitude practice that is also self-motivating.

Additional Takes on Gratitude

“Giving thanks can make you happier” via Harvard Health

“How to Practice Gratitude” via Mindful.org

“How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain” via Greater Good Magazine