5 Ways to Feel More Grateful and Thankful

No law says you can’t be grateful and thankful simultaneously.

You can feel thankful for something AND express gratitude to someone for giving you something or making something happen. It’s not about choosing between the two but how to practice both simultaneously. This is the time of year when we find ourselves reflecting on what we are both thankful and grateful for, so why don’t we do this year-round? We’ve put together a handful of tips for practicing gratitude daily.

Find gratitude in your challenges

Gratitude is not only about being thankful for positive experiences. Thinking about negative or difficult situations can help to nail down what you have to be grateful or thankful for.

Keep a gratitude journal

After your mindfulness session, write down your positive thoughts! Keeping a journal of all of the things you are thankful for can help you keep track of and refer back to the positives in your life.

Volunteer

For many people, giving back to others in their local community is the key to having more gratitude. If you are looking for a place to start, the veteran-serving organizations GoVA highlights each Giving Tuesday are worth a look. Not only will it make you more grateful for the things you may take for granted, but studies have shown that volunteering to help others increases our well-being and, thus, our ability to have more gratitude.

Express yourself

Sometimes it’s not enough to keep your gratitude to yourself. You can increase your gratitude by expressing that gratitude to the people you care about.

Improve your happiness in other areas of your life

Being grateful can make you happy, but being happy can also make you grateful. There are plenty of different ways to get your mood up, including exercising or participating in a hobby you enjoy. Once you feel the endorphins flow, showing gratitude will become even more straightforward, and you’ll start to be able to make a list after list of all the things in your life you’re thankful for.

Bottom Line

Don’t be picky; appreciate everything. 

GoVA Inc. began in 2019 when our CEO and founder, Phil Jawny realized he could give back to the military community. Our mission is simple; we are devoted to being a trusted and credible resource for all military community members.

You served for us. Let us work for you.