In the daily hustle and bustle of work, school, kid’s sports and after-school activities and your own schedule, it can be hard to take a breath and remember the good that you have in your life. Everything that is social media and news related is always going to spin everything into a negative occurrence, so it can be hard to stick with the positivity that you experience on a daily basis. Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, it is a great month to focus on gratitude.
Staying Positive
The world in general may seem like a harsh reality when taking in the news, social media, and struggling through the busy and rough days. Many Americans struggle to get by with paying bills and affording fun stuff for the family. But there is a silver lining that many of us forget or lose sight of, and that’s all the things we already have in this life. Whether that be our home, car, family, friends, items, pets, anything and everything can be a reason to celebrate and be grateful for what we do have. Taking a moment and remembering what you have can help keep you positive throughout the day, and brighten your mood. Having your children do the same is a great way to celebrate the season and upcoming holidays as well.
Being Grateful Every Day
Enlisting your whole family to celebrate the month by finding something to be grateful for is a great grounding experience. Whether it be large or small, searching for gratitude each day helps connect your family too. Decide as a whole who wants to participate, and how they want to keep track of their gratitude. You can get a whiteboard for everybody to write theirs down on, or everyone can write it down individually. Everyone can even text it to each other in a group chat!
Keeping the Gratitude Going
You can also discuss everyone’s choices during dinner, whether it is the first time you talk about it or just discussing it further from reading everyone’s gratitude through text. Doing it every day can help solidify the feelings of gratitude and help your kids have a more positive outlook each day before school. Who knows, every one may enjoy it so much that they will want to continue it every month!
Katie Kyzivat