Thankfulness Challenge

I know people usually start their thankfulness challenges at the beginning of November, so I'm about three weeks late to the game, but better late than never, right?  Studies have shown that if you take the time each day to write down or even just think about something you're thankful for, your entire attitude and outlook on life will change in just three short weeks.  It's amazing how something so simple can be so life changing.

Back when I tried bullet journaling about two years ago, I did this, and it really did make a world of a difference.  I learned to find the joy in the little things in life and that no matter how bad my day had been, there was at least one good thing that had happened to me that I should be thankful for.  It could something as simple as waking up on time, my favorite episode of a show was on television or that I got to play with my dogs for a little while when I got home.  In fact, when doing a thankfulness challenge, I encourage you to focus on the smaller things, the things that don't seem as significant, because these are what you're more likely to encounter on a day to day basis.  If you focus on those, then you will ultimately be able to find more happiness in your life.

I also encourage you to be as specific as possible in your thankfulness journal.  Instead of saying, "I'm thankful for my mom", be a little more specific.  Say something like, "I'm thankful for my mom because she always listens to me when I'm upset."  This forces you to reflect a little bit more and think about how that person, event or object really is significant in your life and impacts it.

If you do feel compelled to write down what you're thankful for each day, which I highly encourage you to do, Sources of Strength has a fantastic (and free) printable thankfulness journal you can check out.  I've worked with Sources of Strength at my old middle school, and it's a wonderful program that teaches students and adults alike the ways they can overcome anxiety and depression by using the resources around them to build a network of support.  While my self-care board on Pinterest is severely lacking, I did create a small section for thankfulness journaling, which has some wonderful resources.  If you're a person who likes to bullet journal, you can find some thankfulness themed pages in my pages section of my bullet journal board.

My mission for you in the week leading up to Thanksgiving is to think of at least one thing you're thankful for every single day.  I also want you to take it one step further.  If it's a person you're thankful for, take the time to reach out to them and tell them that and tell them why.  This week, we showed our students a video about the importance of doing just that in advisory and how that can make a world of a difference when it comes to your own happiness.  I know how awkward it can be, I'm the type of person who likes to do nice things without people knowing so I don't have to be thanked, but it is nice to feel a little bit of love every once in a while.  You can find the video below if you want to check it out.

         

So, let's recap: studies have shown that listing what you're thankful for each day can change your entire outlook on life in just three short weeks.  In order to do that, I encourage you to start a thankfulness journal of some kind, and you can find some ideas on my Pinterest boards.  For the next week leading up to Thanksgiving, I challenge you to think of one thing you're thankful for each day, and if it's a person, make sure to tell them!  Make sure to let me know how it goes in the comments section below.