The Attitude of Gratitude

It can be easy to spend a lot of time worrying about the various stressors in our lives. We worry about our families, our health, world events, what we need to achieve tomorrow, how we look and much more. Young people also have a myriad of worries related to school, friends, appearance, and the future, and teaching them to actively practise gratitude can improve their stress levels and allow them to enjoy the here and now. Having an “attitude of gratitude” is something both adults and young people can benefit from.

Why is gratitude important?

When we feel gratitude, we focus on being thankful for the good things we have in our lives. Practising gratitude is a great way to improve our mood and to destress.

Practising gratitude helps us to:

• Feel positive emotions
• Deal with adversity and build our resilience
• Build strong relationships
• Enjoy good experiences
• Re-gain control in our lives

It is important to remember that just because a young person has a lot to be grateful for doesn’t mean they are not allowed to feel sad or worried. If we don’t give young people space to talk about their negative feelings they will not learn to express themselves and can bottle up their emotions. Practising gratitude is important to build into an everyday routine and is also useful when reflecting after a young person has expressed their worries and concerns.

Ways to Practice Gratitude at Home

Journaling/gratitude jar – encourage your young person to write down something they are grateful for each day in a ‘gratitude journal’. You could also have a ‘gratitude jar’ where they can write on a small piece of paper one thing they are grateful for. At the end of the week, you could empty the jar together and reflect on the things you are thankful for.

Appreciate the little things – ditch the idea that you or your young person are going to be grateful for absolutely everything in life. Don’t criticise yourself for not being grateful all the time for everything you have. Sometimes, it’s the littlest things that lift our spirit. A simple feeling of gratitude for a pet or for a favourite home cooked meal can make the world of difference.

Positive role modelling – it may not always seem like it, but young people learn from the actions and reactions of adults. If you are practising gratitude, chances are your young person will follow along (whether they admit it or not!).

Play the Gratitude Game – name: one person you are thankful for, one place you are thankful for, one food you are thankful for, one thing you are thankful for. This can be during dinner, a car ride, a walk, or when you are just relaxing at home. This is a great way for all the family to practise gratitude.

Resources

For further gratitude prompts, look at this image https://headspace.org.au/assets/gcattachments/149570c7169b2df39c6548052a8253e3.jpeg

The Black Dog Institute have developed the ‘Thank Tank’ https://www.biteback.org.au/ThankTank, a space for teens to document what they are grateful for. They also get a chance to see what others are grateful for which can provide inspiration.

Ryoko Koyasu - School Counsellor