It’s right there in the name: Thanksgiving. A day to give thanks. To pause and reflect on what you’re grateful for. And that’s important—so important that it shouldn’t be limited to just one day a year.
When you nourish yourself with gratitude regularly, you fill up emotionally and spiritually. From that fullness, it becomes easier to hear what your body really needs—and to let go of using food in ways that don’t serve you.
Gratitude also has a powerful ripple effect on your overall well-being. Think about the last time you truly felt grateful. You probably felt more peaceful, more present, maybe even joyful. Now imagine experiencing that feeling every single day. What might shift if you focused on what you do have, instead of what you don’t?
As Brother David Steindl-Rast says:
“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.”
Of course, it takes practice—especially when things aren’t going the way you hoped. But like any practice, it gets easier with time.
Here are 7 simple ways to build your gratitude muscle:
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Keep a nightly gratitude journal. Before bed, jot down everything you were grateful for that day.
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Revisit your gratitude list. On tough days, go back and read it—it’s an instant reframe.
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Start your morning with 3 bigger-picture gratitudes. Write them on a post-it and place it where you’ll see it throughout the day.
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Call someone you love. Tell them why you’re grateful they’re in your life.
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Take five minutes to feel it. Close your eyes, connect to the feeling of gratitude, and sit with it.
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Find the gift in the challenge. Even when something doesn’t go your way, look for how it might help you grow.
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Begin today. Let this Thanksgiving be the start of a daily gratitude practice that supports you all year long.
Wishing you and your loved ones a beautiful Thanksgiving.
Warmly,
Jennie