Gratitude
The Practice of Gratitude
The effect of Gratitude lasts longer than you think…
Feeling and expressing gratitude can make you happy in the moment, and giving thanks can also have a lasting effect on your mood. By consistently putting this into a habitual habit, gratitude can tap into, strengthen, and invigorate your happiness. So how do we make this practice become non-redundant and boring?
Tools for Thankfulness:
Write down three positive events each day
Hand-written Thank You Letter
Take 5 minutes to notice the positives in your day and shift your focus from the negative
Notice the beauty in nature each day
Nurture the friendships you have, good friends don’t come along every day
Smile!
Don’t gossip or speak badly about anyone
Commit to one day a week when you won’t complain about anything
Try to take note when people do a good job and give recognition when it’s due at work
Meditate
Live mindfully, not worrying about the past or future
Say thank you for the little things, things you normally take for granted
Embrace challenges and turn them into opportunities to grow
Learn something new
See the growth opportunity in your mistakes
Help others notice the positives
When time is good, notice and help others
Make a gratitude collage, cut out pictures of all the things that you are grateful for
Focus on your strengths
The actual goal of practicing gratitude is to make gratitude a default feeling. According to researchers at Eastern Washington University, there are four primary characteristics of grateful people.
People who experience the most gratitude tend to:
Feel a sense of abundance in their lives
Appreciate the contributions of others to their well-being
Recognize and enjoy life's small pleasures
Acknowledge the importance of experiencing and expressing gratitude
Whether or not these attitudes come to you naturally, paying attention to life's positives can train you to see more and more of them, which will help you learn to be more grateful.
There are some AWESOME events coming up in the Bozeman Community & here at BYEP. Keep an eye out for the following events:
Gear Distribution
December 8th @ Bozeman High School
We need all hands on deck for this adventure in order to help outfit the new & returning BYEP participants for this winter! Please let your Program Manager know if you cannot make it.
CRUX Graduation
December 15th @ Museum of the Rockies
This is an open event. Anyone welcome who wants experience and see what it means to the participants to be ending their journey at BYEP.
HER OUT LOUD
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we wanted to take some time to reflect on the practice of Gratitude. All of us at BYEP, are so thankful for the work, time, and energy that the mentor's gift to our program each season.
From us to you,
