How to grow your gratitude

When we think about gratitude, we often think about saying thank you to someone for something they might have given us. Maybe at some point in life, you even received something you didn't like and you have been told to be grateful.

That's not really what gratitude is. It is partly about being thankful for what we have, but it's also about appreciation.

Now, the word appreciation has two meanings. The first is to really enjoy something. And the second meaning is to make something bigger. Spotting the things in our lives that might seem small. or that we don't always notice and realising how special they are and how good they make us feel. This could be something small, things like your favourite pair of pyjamas or it could be people that are always there for us: a friend, a teacher, a family member.

So when we practise gratitude, and pay attention to what we appreciate, we're also growing that habit and making it bigger and that habit can bring us more happiness, more enjoyment and can even improve our relationships with others.

What we're going to do together now is take a few moments to think of a person in your life that you really appreciate, that you're really grateful for. What is it about them that you appreciate? Maybe it's the way they make you laugh. Or that you can trust them to look out for you or help you in some way.

Just use your imagination for a moment, to really bring this person to your mind. Maybe imagine their face, the look in their eyes and just think about all the different wonderful things this person brings to your life. Maybe the next time you see this person, you could tell them. You could just say thank you for being a good friend. Or thank you for making me laugh.

In fact, every time you say "Thank you" even if it's not out loud.

You're working on your own appreciation and helping it get bigger and bigger within you and if you do choose to say thank you and tell that person what they mean to you. You may also really brighten their day too.