November Health Challenge
“Attitude of Gratitude”
This month we focus on being grateful. It’s a natural choice for the season, but something we
should practice doing each day of the year.
“Gratitude is simply defined as the state of being grateful. It involves expressing thanks or
appreciation for something, from a gift to life itself.
Gratitude involves recognition of the positive things in your life and how they affect you. This
can range from acknowledging a beautiful flower you pass on the sidewalk to the feeling of
thanks that comes from recovering from a serious illness.”
You can practice gratitude in lots of different ways, like:
gratitude exercises, such as journaling, mapping, gratitude jars…
paying attention to the little things in life, like the birds in the trees
telling someone you’re grateful for them or for something they did, even if it was a long
time ago
doing something kind for someone in your life to express your gratitude
meditating on the positive aspects of your life
giving thanks through prayer
Here are a few useful exercises to help you integrate gratitude into your daily life.
Gratitude journaling is a technique that involves keeping a diary of things you’re grateful for
every day. This is one of the most popular ways to practice gratitude. Some good starting
points are to recount a favorite moment from the day, describe a special person in your life, or
list things you’re grateful for that day.
Gratitude mapping is perfect for visual learners. It involves creating a visual mood board of
everything you’re grateful for. You can put photos or notes or found items on it. You then
place this board somewhere in your home to remind yourself to be grateful every day.
Gratitude jars are a simple idea that’s easy to put into practice. Whenever something good
happens or you feel thankful for something, write it down on a piece of paper and put it in a
jar. Next time you’re feeling down, give the jar a shake and pick out one slip of paper. This
technique will remind you of something good in your life that you can appreciate. It can help
you recall simple pleasures that you might have otherwise forgotten.
Prayer is another way to practice gratitude. Expressing gratitude to God can be a profound
way to evoke a sense of awe and appreciation. Spending time thinking about your blessings
can give you hope for the future, and redirect your mind from dwelling on things that have a
negative effect.
Volunteering is a practical way to practice gratitude. Helping those in need can inspire you to
reflect on your own circumstances and bring on a sense of compassion for humanity as a
whole.
There are physical and mental benefits to practicing gratitude.
Boosts the immune system: Gratitude has been shown to help contribute to an overall sense
of well-being.
Stress lowers the immune response to potential bodily threats, whereas increased mental
well-being can help your body fight off illness.
Practicing gratitude also has the ability to improve other aspects of physical health, with one
early-stage study suggesting it can reduce the risks associated with heart failure.
Improves mental health: Gratitude is one of many factors that contributes to positive mental
health outcomes.
One 2020 study showed that regularly practicing gratitude can help ease symptoms of anxiety
and depression. An older study from 2003 noted that gratitude was linked to improved mood.
Practicing gratitude fosters positive feelings and can contribute to a sense of well-being when
done regularly.
Improved relationships: Gratitude not only improves your physical and mental well-being; it
plays a key role in forming relationships, as well as in strengthening existing ones.
Increased optimism
Being an optimistic person can have plenty of health benefits, including healthy aging. In an
older study from 2003, it took just 10 weeks of regular gratitude practice for participants to
feel more optimistic and positive about their present lives and the future.
Needless to say, your Challenge for this month is to practice Gratitude.
Each day, fill in one square with something you are thankful for, and on one of the days in that
row, complete the extra challenge.
Bible verse on being thankful:
Psalms 52:9 “For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful
people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.”
