The document discusses the benefits of gratitude and thankfulness. Practicing gratitude has been shown to improve relationships, health, and well-being. It recommends expressing thanks for others through writing thank you notes or placing appreciation messages on place cards at meals. Regularly reflecting on things one is thankful for trains the brain to adopt a more positive mindset. Children who score high in gratitude have been found to have better social lives and academic performance.

1. Thankfulness

2. http://www.countryliving.com/life/a36880/what-country-living-readers-are-thankful-for/
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/awesome-8-thanksgiving/
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/oprahs-gratitude-journal-oprah-on-gratitude
https://today.uic.edu/i-am-thankful
http://ei.yale.edu/what-is-gratitude/
3 things to be thankful for
1. Be thankful for people, who are kind to you – people who treat you well.
2. Be thankful for having the possibility to take a walk / run at a beautiful place.
3. Be thankful that you are not a dinosaur. If you were a dinosaur, you would not live.

3. When we think about and communicate what we
are thankful for in our lives, we become happier.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/#14da1789183c
https://www.mindful.org/gratitude-changes-brain/
https://pathways.org/blog/7-ideas-encourage-children-to-be-thankful/

4. A study of couples found that individuals, who took time
to express gratitude for their partner, not only felt more
positive toward the other person but also felt more
comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/in-praise-of-gratitude

5. At the most basic level, feeling appreciated makes
us feel safe, which frees us to do our best work.
https://hbr.org/2012/01/why-appreciation-matters-so-mu

6. Research shows that high school students, who
score high on gratitude, have more friends
and higher grades.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sack-md/gratitude_b_2277960.html

7. Unlike other positive emotions like hope and happiness,
gratitude is inherently relational. Gratitude
acknowledges connection. It reaches past the
person experiencing it and into the social realm.
http://ei.yale.edu/what-is-gratitude/

8. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/understand-other-people/201209/nothing-be-thankful
Thank you box
Thank you box exercise
Sometime during the week, every
person in your household puts a
note in the thank you box. On the
note, she / he writes something
she / he is thankful for in life.
On Sunday morning, everyone
reads the notes for each other.

9. Place card exercise
When you have friends over
for a meal, try this: On the
back of each place card,
write what you would like
to thank the person for.
Not only does it teach
thankfulness, it will make
your guests feel special.
https://www.kidnurse.org/6-fun-activities-teach-thankfulness-thanksgiving/

10. To practice appreciation, try starting with yourself. At the end of the
week, for example on Sunday morning, ask yourself this question:
“What do I feel proud of having done this week?”
Say thank you to yourself for having done that.
Adapted from
https://hbr.org/2012/01/why-appreciation-matters-so-mu