The Gift of Gratitude, and Breathe

If the only prayer we ever say is 'thank you,' that would be enough - Meister Eckhart

Gratitude is yet another building block of self-care. The energy of gratitude is literally magic. It opens doors to new perspectives of oneself, one's relationships, and life as a whole. Gratitude can shift one from an energy of despair to a space of appreciation. It creates understanding…it brings about peace by highlighting the beautiful lessons and love hiding within a perceived problem or experience. 

With gratitude, one begins to see all the beauty one already possesses. As we discussed in the Self-awareness and Self-compassion blog, the practice of daily gratitude creates habit. 

There are many resources to assist one in the cultivation of gratitude, and throughout the month of November, and in keeping with the energy of Thanksgiving, I will feature a variety of self-care tools that strengthen the concept of gratitude. Today we will focus on who we are grateful for. 

Gratitude Tool: Write a Thank You Card. 

This can be a fun activity to do with a group of friends or your children.

1. With paper and pen write down 5 people you are grateful for.

This can be friends, family, a favorite teacher, a neighbor, etc.

2. Choose one (or more) and write a thank you card to send to them.

Thank the person(s) for something wonderful they have done…or how they have helped you…or inspired you or for simply being them! If you love being creative, grab some construction paper, scissors, and glue and make the card yourself! (Again this can be fun as a group activity)

3. Mail, email, or text your card of thanks to the chosen person(s).

I prefer snail mail, there is something magical about it in this day and age, but email and text are powerful as well! You never know who needs to hear words of love and gratitude. Participating in an activity such as this is like a little surprise and an act of kindness wrapped into one. This type of exercise not only fills one with the energy of gratitude but like magic - sends it out to another. This type of energy can heal the world.

Additional Activity:

If you want to keep this energy going, try writing a thank you card to yourself. This is a private assignment. It could be done in a formal thank you card or simply in your journal, but it should be focused on the wonderful aspects of you! Thanking your incredible body for its remarkable and tireless work at keeping you alive; Thanking your incredible mind for its creativity and wisdom; Thanking your beautiful heart for the love it bestows on oneself and others. 

P.S. I am grateful for you!