Creating Family Gratitude Rituals

Gratitude is a powerful emotion—one that can increase the feeling of happiness and fulfillment, for you and your loved ones—and isn’t that what we all want? This is why it makes perfect sense to do all we can to leverage that power by creating family gratitude rituals. 

Why is gratitude so powerful?

Many studies over the past decade have found that people who consciously count their blessings tend to be happier and less depressed. This is because practicing gratitude interrupts the brain’s habit of negative thinking and actively shifts it toward the many good things we experience instead. 

In neuroscience, there is a theory that says, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” Just like paths in a field, the more you walk a single path, the more defined the path becomes, making it easier to follow. Thought patterns in our brains work much the same way. The more often you think a thought, the easier it is to keep following the thought, which is why establishing a ritual of practicing gratitude will help to rewire the brain.

The more often we can shift our focus onto the uplifting moments in our day, the stronger that positive path in our brain becomes, improving our outlook on life and our optimism right along with it.

When we feel optimistic, we are open to more possibilities, and we feel better about stepping outside of our comfort zones—where opportunity and success LIVES! This is yet another reason gratitude is so powerful.

What are the benefits of having a positive attitude and looking for moments of gratitude in your day?

Studies have shown that feeling thankful can:

• Improve sleep
• Boost your mood
• Increase immunity
• Decrease depression and anxiety
• Reduce chronic pain
• Lower the risk of disease

Additionally, people who express gratitude for each other experience stronger social bonds and greater levels of appreciation. It also reinforces a positive and supportive home environment and develops a happier and strongly united family overall. 

This kind of consciously created positive attitude is both powerful and highly beneficial for everyone! 

How do you develop a gratitude practice for your family?

As parents, we want the best for our children. Considering all the benefits of gratitude, developing a daily practice of gratitude is a family ritual that leads to a healthier and happier life! 

So, what are some simple things we can do to help ourselves and our children start building the habit of gratitude?

Say, thank you. Not only is it good manners to do so, saying thank you is also a great way to make someone else feel good about their conduct or performance. This appreciation can reinforce good behavior, creating a repeating cycle of positivity!

Talk about the positives. Take time to share the nice things that happened during the day. Many of us focus on the one bad thing that happened, allowing it to erase all the great things we experienced. By making it a habit to talk about the positive things, you get to shift your focus to something that feels good. Talking about the positives also has the added benefit of consciously looking for good things to share throughout the day…and what you direct your brain to focus on, it will find!

Express appreciation. We all know how good it feels when someone else expresses appreciation for us. This is something that we can consciously do for others. Make it a family ritual when eating meals together to have each person express why they are grateful for a family member, friend, colleague, or classmate. Then encourage each other to reach out to at least one other person each day to tell them why they are fabulous. It’s an exercise that spreads the love and we can all use that!

Give back to your community. Getting involved in your community as a family is a great way to serve and support others together. By doing so, it can help you become even more grateful for the blessings you have in your life. 

With so many wonderful benefits attached to the practice of gratitude, I hope this encourages you to establish a gratitude ritual in your family.

Listening to uplifting messages that help you direct your focus is the perfect way to start your day! If that is something you’d like, I invite you to access my ATM today.

The Abundance Tips and Mentoring arrive in a daily audio file, delivered via email and text. Through them, you will get many ways to increase your financial know how, money mindset, confidence, gratitude and so much more. 

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS MY ATM NOW!