November is National Gratitude Month. Two years ago, when My Cup of Cocoa began, I created a Gratitude Challenge. It is still one of my most popular posts. But I thought an updated version was in order for 2018. What is a gratitude challenge? It’s simply a list of questions to help you think about what you have to be grateful for in your life. And what better time to do that than during November and National Gratitude Month.
The idea behind the gratitude challenge is simple. For each day in November, answer the question listed. You can answer question privately in a journal or on social media using the hashtag #gratitudechallenge. Or you can just think on the question and consider it throughout your day.
Writing it down either for your private use or sharing on social media is the preferred method. This is because the act of writing your answer down requires you to focus and use your brain in a different way than just thinking about your answer. The act of writing down your answer makes your thoughts and ideas last longer in your brain. It will help you remember what you are thankful for.
Share Your Gratitude
Sharing your answers to the gratitude challenge is beneficial not only to you, but also to those you share it with. An attitude of gratitude is contagious. When your friends, family, and social media followers hear what you are grateful for, they will automatically think about the things they are grateful for. It’s a win-win activity that spreads thankfulness and happiness.
Benefits of Being Grateful
Being grateful has been scientifically proven to be beneficial to our physical and mental health. People who practice gratitude reports feeling less aches and pains than those who do not. Grateful people are also more likely to take care of their physical health which leads to having better overall health in general.
Gratitude reduces negative feelings such as envy, anger, resentment, and regret. This, in turn, benefits the way grateful people feel about themselves and others. A grateful person has healthier relationships and, usually, more of them. Many studies have concluded that gratitude increases happiness and reduces depression. Having gratitude has also been linked to increased self esteem and higher mental strength.
A 2011 study found that people who kept a gratitude journal slept better than those who don’t. Better sleep patterns improve both physical and mental health. Spend ten minutes writing down what you are grateful for each night can translate to better and longer sleep.
Some other benefits of practicing gratitude include improved marriage relationships, improved professional relationships, and happier memories for years to come. Interested in learning more? Check out this list of 26 studies on gratitude and its benefits.
Take the New Gratitude Challenge
If all the physical and mental health benefits of practicing gratitude sound like something you want or need in your life, consider taking the Gratitude Challenge in November. It won’t take a lot of your time, and the payoffs are definitely worth it.
I’m going to try it out for myself. Come back to see what experiences I have with these questions. And be sure to comment and add yours. I look forward to hearing about them.
Please share the new My Cup of Cocoa Gratitude Challenge using the social media buttons below. I’d love to hear how the challenge goes for you. What questions were simple to answer? Which ones were more challenging or made you think in a new way?
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