How Children Can Practice Gratitude - Please share this post with a child.

Practicing Gratitude - a post for Children

by Kathleen Lisson

“Say Thank You”

“Count Your Blessings”

We’ve all been told to do these two things, especially by our parents, but life gets busy and sometimes we forget. Taking time out of your day to remember things that are good in our lives is a fun way to relax and gives our health a boost, too.

Research has shown that practicing gratitude strengthens the immune system,

reduces feelings of loneliness and anxiety increases feelings of joy. You can test it for yourself and see what being grateful feels like in your body in less than a minute!

Sit comfortably in a quiet place. Take a few deep breaths and feel your body sitting. When you are comfortable, follow these two steps for practicing gratitude:

1. Focus on good things in our lives, and
2. Recognize that they happened because of other people.

You can remember something nice a friend did for you or think about all the hard work that strangers did to grow and harvest the food you ate for breakfast.

How does being grateful feel inside your body? Are your shoulders less tense? Does your heart feel warm inside? Did your face relax? Did you smile?

If you liked practicing gratitude, why not make it a habit. You can even invite an adult to practice with you. Then you can celebrate Thanksgiving every day, and I don’t mean eat a turkey sandwich!

Kathleen Lisson is a certified Meditation Teacher and Labyrinth Facilitator and teaches Meditation and Mindfulness at IPSB college in San Diego. Sign up for a private meditation lesson or labyrinth walk in the comfort of your home here: https://www.massagebook.com/San_Diego~Massage~sandiego?src=external