Gratitude and sharing
One of the most powerful mood shifters I know is gratitude. About a year ago, I started keeping a daily journal listing ten things I’m grateful for, and why. The “why” part also helps me clarify my deepest values by noticing how I describe what’s important to me. For example, I’ll I often have a lot of words like cozy, beautiful, and relaxing in my lists, which lets me know that these are some of the things that matter most to me – and then I can bring more of that into my life.
Recently I introduced this idea to my four-year-old through a simple dinner-time ritual. When we sit down to eat, I light a candle, and then we each share what was our favorite part of the day. It’s a sweet way to connect and learn more about one another, and bring pleasant feelings by remembering all of the most fun things we’ve done and kindness we’ve experienced.
Another way that we focus on the joy in our lives is “the remember story” told at bedtime. I don’t recall how we started, but Q loves it! It begins “Do you remember when we woke up this morning, and …” and then talk about our day. When we’ve been together, it’s fun to reminisce, and when we’ve been apart, it gives us a chance to hear more about each others’ lives. It also helps me think about ways I can make each day special, so we have wonderful things to remember.
As you begin to create additional opportunities for self-care in your lives, this practice will help amplify the feelings to get even more benefit. If you have other ways that you express or focus on gratitude, share them in the comments so we can inspire each other!
I’m really loving this self-care series for mom and little ones together. What a great resource!
So glad you like it! These ideas have brought so much joy to our family.