Boost Your Mood Tenner Week Day 1: Gratitude and/or attitude
Today’s first ‘Boost Your Mood’ Tenner Week Challenge activity is called Gratitude and/or attitude, and we’re keeping it simple because Mondays are often hectic.
The aim is to gently steer our natural thought patterns away from constant troubleshooting, and more in the direction of positivity. Even a slight shift in this balance can be helpful, and over time it can become a happy habit.
It’s a relatively easy exercise, and it’s also completely free. Tonight, before bedtime, take a moment to think about things that you’re grateful for. This doesn’t have to be huge or groundbreaking, it can be as simple as ‘the sunshine was beautiful this morning’ or ‘I had a great cup of coffee’ if you like. It’s fine to start small.
Next, write down three of these things that you’re grateful for. Ideally, keep this up for the rest of the week, so that you can look back over them on the Sunday – it’s a good feeling to see all the different things that bring you a sense of gratitude.
You can use a notes app, a notebook, a sheet of paper, or whatever else you like.
Alternatives to keeping a gratitude diary
Some people would like to cultivate a more positive way of thinking, but at the same time they might associate the word ‘gratitude’ with phrases such as ‘you should be grateful’. This is sometimes said to others in an unhelpful or unkind way, and it may stir up unhappy memories or feelings.
If that applies to you then you might like to try a different approach. Ask yourself a similar but subtly different question, such as, ‘what went right today?‘ It’s another thing that you can do in the evening, and it’s usually easy enough to come up with three responses, large or small.
On the other hand, you might be more of a morning person. In that case, you could ask yourself ‘what am I looking forward to today?‘ This is more about anticipation than gratitude, but some people might prefer it, and it’s still a form of positive thinking that can become a healthy habit.
More useful resources
- The Tenner Week Challenge rules
- 12 tips for a successful Tenner Week
- The ‘Boost Your Mood’ Tenner Week schedule
That’s it for Day 1 of the Boost Your Mood Tenner Week Challenge – what are you feeling grateful for today?
By the way, if you’d like a free printable spending diary to give your Tenner Week budgeting challenge an even bigger boost, just fill in the form below.
