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WASHINGTON — Psychologists who have studied gratitude give the following tips for giving thanks in a way that improves your emotional well-being:
Keep a gratitude journal. Regularly write down at night the good things that happened to you that day or that week. Don't let this become rote; but put a lot of thought into being grateful when you count your blessings. If it gets to be too routine, vary your schedule and do it only a few times a week.
Put the "you" in "thank you." The personal part of gratitude is what works well. So be more thankful for people and how they help instead of things. When thanking someone, emphasize the person instead of the action.
Think about how you would be without the people close to you and remember that when you are thankful.
Find something that may have gone wrong in your day or your life and think of something good from that time that helped you. Remember how that helped you survive the bad times.
Don't minimize the power of "you're welcome." It is important to acknowledge someone thanking you and not slough it off by saying it's nothing. It is something — that's why someone thanked you.
