Five Ways to Get & Stay Grateful

Welcome to the season of giving, which applies to everything from thanks to anxiety attacks.

I did a little desire mapping (a la Danielle LaPorte) with the intention of getting to 2020 with a potent potion of power and peace running through my body; that process led me to cultivate this list of simple, acts that will keep me grounded and grateful today, tomorrow, and definitely on Thanksgiving.

Here they are!

Open your Eyes and Think of One Wonderful Thing

I am uber guilty of waking up, jumping out of bed, and DOING. I don’t even know how to describe the things I do because there is no rhyme, reason, consistency, or yogic loveliness. ​It’s all coffee, laundry, dishes, lunches, and 1/2 done homework papers. This year, I am changing the game by spending an extra three minutes in bed, wholly focused on something that makes me smile with every inch of myself. Yesterday was clean sheets; the day before was something my grandfather told me on his birthday, the year before he passed away. So yes, it can be big or small. It’s yours!

Pick a Mantra and Declare it with POWER

This one might make you feel a little bit silly the first time you do it, but I promise it gets easier (and Stephanie Moore promised that to me, so you know it’s good). Once you are out of bed and feeling the positive vibes of a wonderful thought, choose a mantra and speak it out loud, with some grit, grace, and glory in your mind and heart. If you are feeling exceptionally brave, do it in the mirror.

Some of our current favorite mantras are:

1. I feel beautiful, I am beautiful
2. I am proud of myself
3. I welcome all forms of positivity into my life
4. I am free to be myself
5. I am whole, healthy, and strong
6. I choose to radiate happiness and love

Take a Yoga Class

Shocking, right? Click here for our growing list of places to practice on Thanksgiving Day (plus a few Black Friday options).

Have REAL Conversations

Have you ever felt like you need to show up at a family event with an elevator pitch about what’s currently going on in your life? Work, relationship status, pleasantries, cute story about your recent vacation, and then you go to the bathroom or pile on a second serving that you didn’t even want, just to get out of there before the banter turns to something like having (more) kids or using your college degree.

My thought for this year is kind of revolutionary – lean into the moment. Go deep. Ask questions and CARE about the answers. Listen. And then maybe you’ll have a meaningful takeaway which might inspire you to…

Write a Letter to Someone (Other than Santa)

This might be my favorite of all. Before you officially put your day to bed, write a letter. An actual, pen-and-paper letter. It doesn’t need to be a novel – just something that anchors you in the mental and emotional experience of your day and allows you to share something that spoke to your soul. Do you need to mail it? Maybe. It depends on what you write and who’s meant to read it. Put some thought – and love – into the process and trust that the universe will make sure you know where to send.