Practice Gratitude Regularly
The practice of gratitude, we know, is a protective factor for wellbeing. In fact, being grateful can help your brain to work better. Dr Daniel Amen, who scans people’s brains to see what is happening to them, testifies that, “People who express gratitude on a regular basis are healthier, more optimistic, make better progress toward their goals, have a greater sense of well-being and are more helpful to others.” Who does not want a slice of that in the classroom? So, let us think about how you could create a daily practice of being grateful in your classroom. Perhaps you could choose a specific time that works for your class schedule. For example, at the end of the day, beginning of the day, coming back after break or after a particular class. On occasion, you may need to choose time immediately after a tricky situation that has occurred to help people get their thinking brain back.
It is also said that writing down those things we are grateful for daily, even only five at a time can make a big difference to wellbeing. Seems a good place to start. To that end, here are 50 things to think about. You might choose to start small as you build the gratitude habit. Think of one thing for each category.
Here are 25 for teachers:
1. Your education
2. Your home
3. The air you breathe
4. Your hair
5. Your good brain (No matter what shape it is currently in.)
6. Your job
7. The weekends
8. Those you love
9. The country you live in
10. The sea that surrounds us
11. Your good friend
12. Your limbs
13. Your colleagues
14. Your lunch
15. This magazine
16. Electricity
17. The vehicle that brought you to work
18. Your family of origin
19. The best theory
20. The neighbourhood
21. Your holidays
22. Those who love you
23. This list
24. Rivers
25. Your fingernails
Here are 25 for students:1. Your home
2. The air you breathe
3. Your hair
4. Your good brain (No matter what shape it is currently in.)
5. Your school
6. The weekends
7. Those you love
8. The land you were born on
9. The sea that surrounds us
10. Your good friend
11. Your legs and arms
12. Your school friends
13. Your lunch
14. Play time
15. Electricity
16. Mountains
17. The vehicle that brought you to school
18. Your family
19. The best subject you like
20. The people who live close to you
21. Holidays from school
22. Those who love you
23. Your nose
24. Rivers
25. Knowledge
Good luck with practicing. Notice how you feel and how your class
behaves after doing a few gratitude sessions.
