According to The Centre for Effective Living, it takes as little as three weeks of practising gratitude to train our brain to look out for the positive.

Key points

• Gratitude impacts our mental health and can have a positive influence on our relationships.
• This November (Gratitude Month) we’re focusing on finding ways to build habits of gratitude into our daily lives.
• “What if you discovered that the life you already have, is really the life you’ve always wanted?” – Ann Voskamp

---

This November (Gratitude Month) we’re focusing on finding ways to build habits of gratitude into our daily lives.

Building a habit of gratitude can have a positive impact on all areas of life.

Gratitude’s impact on mental health

“Gratitude can improve your mental and emotional health,” said John Thorington from Focus on the Family.

“So, as you approach each day, keep your focus on the grace of God and all that is good.

“Yes, practice gratitude and thank God for your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual blessings.”

Gratitude’s impact on relationships

According to The Gottman Institute, gratitude can have a powerful impact on our relationships, specifically.

Gratitude impacts our mental health and can have a positive influence on our relationships.

“You can be intentional about gratitude by building it into the fabric of your relationships where it helps you connect and be thankful at the same time,” they advise.

Some ideas they offer include sending handwritten thank you notes, using birthdays as an opportunity to say a heartfelt and specific “thank you” and making special thank you gifts to those you are grateful for.

Consider super-charging your gratitude mindset by using the final moments of each day to tell your partner, family member or close friend something from that particular day that you’re grateful for.

Gratitude’s impact on family

“When rituals of gratitude are a normal part of both your routine and your special events, you connect with those around you in a way that benefits everyone,” the article continues.

“The experience you share with your partner and/or your children becomes a meaningful time of bonding.

“What if you discovered that the life you already have, is really the life you’ve always wanted?” – Ann Voskamp

“So say thank you, say it often, and say it together.”

New York Times Bestseller Ann Voskamp got the world’s attention with her debut book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You are.

“How do we find joy in the midst of the life you already have?” Ann said.

“What if you discovered that the life you already have – is really the life you’ve always wanted?”

The secret? You guessed it! Gratitude.

Let’s take a moment each day, to notice the small gifts.

Ann encourages readers to write down at least three things every day for which they’re grateful.

“I want to see beauty,” she writes.

“In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, in all the days before I die, the moments before I sleep.”

Gratitude as a community

So, let’s do this together!

Let’s learn how to be grateful.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

Let’s take a moment each day, to notice the small gifts.

Let’s learn how to live by 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (NIV)

Join us on Instagram and Facebook, as we share daily gratitude prompts and inspiration.

Plus – we’ve gathered our favourite resources, to help us all grow in gratitude.

Enjoy!

---

The Resilience Project: Book Review

The Resilience Project encourages us to view life through a lens of gratitude, something which is beneficial for all of us. Read more.

---

Raising Grateful, Empathetic, Mindful Teens: It’s Possible!

Practicing gratitude, empathy and mindfulness doesn’t remove the struggle, “it means you’ll have the tools to handle those struggles better.” Read more.

---

The Power of Random Acts of Kindness

“Kindness is underpinned by gratitude.” And we all know how good it feels to be on the receiving end of unexpected kindness – but what impact does it have on the person who performs this generous act? Read more.

---

Gratitude – Real Hope

Gratitude is a devotional podcast and article series inviting listeners to create a habit of gratitude in their lives. Listen to all six episodes below or subscribe to the plan on YouVersion.

• • How Gratitude Reshape the World: Could gratitude be one of the greatest gifts God gave His children? Is there a more potent display of God’s grace? Listen and read here.
  • Heartfelt Gratitude Changes Everything: Gratitude fills our songs, our words and our actions with the indwelling love of God through Jesus on the best days and the worst days. Listen and read here.
  • The Power of Gratitude During One of ‘Those’ Days: In troubled times, when it feels harder to be thankful, remember there’s strength in gratitude for all the small things. Listen and read here.
  • Counting Our Gratitude (On the Good Days and the Bad): We are thankful, not for the various circumstances we face, but are thankful that God remains God in the midst of them. Listen and read here.
  • The Contrast of Materialism and Gratitude: When we focus on the hope that is in Christ, our joy wells up and we can give thanks because He’s at work for good in and through all things. Listen and read here.

---

Feature images: Photos by CanvaPro