#1 practice for feeling good = being thankful.

The impending holidays have been wafting their sweet scents of excitement and joy into the air here in NYC. There seems to have been an energetic shift as the weather has finally cooled down and we’ve started to bundle up in our wool coats and fuzzy hats.

Personally, I have been in the spirit of this season for weeks and so ready to hibernate in front of a fire with hot cocoa under layers of blankets. I even bought my favorite evergreen soy candle and whenever I smell it, I experience an immediate mood boost; it’s definitely related to the nostalgia that comes with Christmas, but what’s really cool is that the scent of pine and evergreen actually eases stress and promotes a state of calm–something we can all benefit from! So grab a pine candle, my friends, and light it often.

Lovely scents aside, my favorite thing about this time of year it getting together with the people I love. It’s what I look forward to most on Thanksgiving — catching up with aunts, uncles, and cousins; watching the football game; and making my homemade cranberry sauce (recipe will be up on the blog soon!). Yet, the one thing that sometimes seems to get lost in the celebration of this holiday is the actual giving thanks part. Am I right?

What if we all made time to consider all of the things we’re grateful for the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving day? I imagine we’d infuse ourselves and our lives with so many good feelings that once the holiday arrived we were even more happy to celebrate and share our gratitude lists.

Well, I’ve decided to go for it and be unreasonably grateful for the next 10 days, making it my practice to recognize what I appreciate about not only my life as it is, but in every day. In an effort to share this with you, I’m going to be posting one gratitude statement a day on Instagram to make this “10 Days of Giving Thanks” known and perhaps it will inspire others to do the same.

This practice of being grateful and expressing gratitude is incredibly powerful. Studies have shown that acknowledging what is going well in life has many health benefits–mentally and physically.

1. It strengthens the immune system and lowers blood pressure. We all know that stress is harmful to the body and it’s brought on by our response to certain events, our thoughts, and our emotions. Therefore, negative thoughts and emotions are harmful. Yet, when we experience joy and think positive thoughts, we feel more ease and acceptance. That is what an attitude of gratitude brings and in turn allows our body to operate optimally.
2. It lessens anxiety. When we find ourselves in moments of fearfulness and overwhelm, anxiety can easily creep up and take us down a rabbit hole. One way to pull ourselves out of those moments is to sit and write down everything that’s going well in life as well as who we love and appreciate. Taking stock of the positive aspects of life allows our attention and energy to shift into calmness and joy.
3. It inspires joy and satisfaction in life. When we look at and admire what we are blessed to have, we feel lucky and joyful. Expressing and feeling gratitude over and over again brings a deep satisfaction with our lives just as they are and we stop (for the time being) thinking about what’s missing or isn’t enough.
4. It evokes generosity and compassion. Being grateful and expressing gratitude makes us more likely to share kindness with others from an open heart.

I’m excited to see how this daily practice impacts my outlook on life throughout this week and next. A full recap will be up on the blog on Black Friday. I hope this inspires you to look at life through more grateful eyes. Have your happiest Thanksgiving yet!

Did you like this post? Share your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for reading!