Fostering an Attitude of Gratitude

Who doesn’t want to feel happy?

 Perhaps our approach to finding happiness is too skewed towards an unreachable state of wellbeing fraught with unreachable expectations. We risk letting our lives pass us by if we only feel good when everything is going well or moments of intense joy. Anchoring into moments of gratitude each day is associated with enhancing positive thinking and coping skills. It can literally change your brain to get into the habit of naming three things each day that you are grateful for.

Some days will be easier than others. The great thing is that the more you do it, the easier it is to see what’s good in your life. Children have a special ability to be completely present and they invite us into this state through how intensively they feel hunger, fatigue, hurt and a desire to connect with us. If we were able to turn these moments into something to be grateful for we would also feel more able to manage these moments that often compete with other demands. It sounds a little corny but being thankful for a cuddle or sharing a snack together, we are literally dialling up the satisfaction meter on these experiences.

So how do you navigate times that are not fun? It’s not about being thankful for tantrums or loss of sleep. But rather noticing the times we do get to sleep or handle a tantrum with calmness. We need to cheer squad these moments. Try to be thankful for something every day. On a tough day it might be for a bed to rest in, a strong coffee, a thoughtful phone call or a chance to take a walk in the sun.

The good news is that the more you foster an attitude of gratitude, you role model this to be a natural way of being for your child. Imagine if we could set up our children to see moments of difficulty as learning opportunities to overcome and not as a sign of failing.