November is one of my favorite months of the year. The leaves are at the peak of their gorgeous “fall look”, the weather is chilly but not too cold and the stress of December is still an arm’s length away. But the best part is on that last Thursday of the month when we give thanks and eat a crazy amount of delicious food.
November makes me feel warm and cozy. November is happy.
Maybe November is such a warm and fuzzy month because we give thanks. It’s practically required with a holiday called “Thanksgiving”. We express our gratitude for our health, our children and the food on our table.
We are reminded of all the good things in life. Thanksgiving forces us to be in the present and think about what’s good now. Not what used to be good or what could be great in the future but focusing on the present. Today.
Research consistently finds that gratitude is good for us.
According to Dr. Robert Emmons, Ph.D., (a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and author of the book Thanks!: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier) practicing gratitude can actually increase happiness levels by around 25%.
Emmons says, “The most common method we use in our research is to ask people to keep a “Gratitude Journal” where you write something you feel grateful for. Doing so 4 times a week, for as little as 3 weeks, is often enough to create a meaningful difference in one’s level of happiness.”
So if writing in a gratitude journal can make me a happier person. I’m in!
I am grateful for my sweet family, for my friendships and the cute things my boys say.
So start your gratitude journal this month! Give thanks at dinner. Incorporate gratitude into the bedtime routine. Isn’t that what life is all about? Being present and knowing the present is good.
