Putting Gratitude into Action

Last weekend Sara wrote about how practicing gratitude positively impacts our well-being. The recent Thanksgiving holiday served as an opportunity to notice the good, and it helps ground us in appreciation. But gratitude doesn’t have to stop at reflection; it can also be a good motivation for action. Reflecting on the many things we are thankful for can be empowering, reminding us of how we can positively impact others.

There are many ways to spread positivity and amplify the ripple effects of gratitude. And research shows that it builds feelings of connection which is good for our overall health. According to Harvard Health, the 2024 study published by Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, “suggested it also decreases social isolation and loneliness, which are increasingly linked to a variety of negative health effects.”

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

Ghandhi

Spreading positivity can be deceptively simple, but it can also be hard to know where to start. Following are a few ways we recommend putting gratitude into action.

Offer small kindnesses to strangers: A smile, a compliment, or holding the door can brighten someone’s day. This can be a regular practice that can be amplified by setting aside time to bring others together to spread kindnesses. A few years ago, Sara wrote how our friends in Kentucky dedicate the date of November 18th to ‘spread good Juju’ to honor the memory of their family member, Judy, every year on her birthday.

Create moments of surprise and delight for others: Write a note, text or email to someone you haven’t connected with for a while. Bake cookies, get flowers, or pick up a treat for colleagues for neighbors. As we head into the season of gifting, Good Housekeeping recently shared dozens of affordable, whimsical gifts, sure to help someone smile.  

Share your time: We’ve written before about the many ways we can volunteer our time to support others. Not only is volunteering helping those directly impacted by the service being performed, it’s also an opportunity to build connections with others.

More than two decades ago I signed up through my church to spend a Saturday helping fix up homes in Chicago with Rebuilding Together. I almost cancelled when my friend called to tell me she was sick in bed, so couldn’t join me. I decided to still volunteer and spent the morning repainting a kitchen in an older woman’s home, the afternoon weeding her yard alongside others. But what I remember most was meeting Kelly, a woman my age who also showed up solo when her friend cancelled. It was the start of a friendship with an interesting, kind person that lasts to this day. A connection born of a shared desire to help others.