Make the Most of Christmas! How to Practise Gratitude

The Christmas holidays may be the only time of year you’re able to slow down, sit back and take things easy for a while. This gives you a great opportunity to unwind, relax and re-charge your batteries for next year. Here’s how to make the most of Christmas.

Practise gratitude

Holidays mean you have the chance to think about all the things in your life to be grateful for.  Consciously practising gratitude increases our happiness, and what better time to do this than during the holidays?

How does practising gratitude increase our happiness? Firstly, it helps you to savour the moment, and to be aware of all the wonderful things you have around you. You may be grateful for your family, your job, your car, your house, your friendships, your health. There’ll always be some areas of your life that are not perfect, and may need addressing, but this is not the time to dwell on them. This is the time to focus on what is good about life.

It helps you to cope with stress and anxiety by allowing you to put negative events or circumstances into perspective. The most important things in life tend to be the relationships you have with others, and your own sense of wellbeing, not how much money you make or how many possessions you have.

Strengthen connections

If you express your gratitude to those who love and care for you, your social bonds will become stronger, which is another source of increased happiness. A simple “thank you” to those close to you for what they have done makes them, and you, feel good.

It reduces feelings of envy, which is a very destructive emotion. If you’re focussed on all the good stuff that you have in your own life, you’re less likely to compare yourself unfavourably to others.

Improve your mood

Finally, being in a state of gratitude is fundamentally incompatible with negative emotions.  This makes it extremely difficult to be in a bad mood when you’re feeling grateful! Working with a life coach can help you put things into perspective and be more grateful.

This time of year gives you the opportunity to bask in the feelings of pleasure and serenity that come with being grateful for what you have. So this Christmas, why not make the most of it!