Day 4 of NOVA’s Gratitude and Appreciation Week: Thankful Thursday!

April 25, 2024 / Get Well

Welcome to Day 4 of NOVA’s Gratitude and Appreciation Week. The theme for today is “Thankful Thursday!”

Across hundreds of studies, practicing gratitude has been found to increase positive emotions, reduce the risk of depression, improve relationship satisfaction and increase resilience in the face of stressful life events, among other benefits.

Unfortunately for many, gratitude doesn’t always come naturally. The negatives in our lives — the disappointments, resentments and fears — sometimes occupy more of our attention than the positives. But Dr. Robert Emmons, a leading scientific expert on gratitude, argues that intentionally developing a grateful outlook helps us both recognize the good things in our lives and realize that many of these good things are “gifts” that we have been fortunate to receive. “By making gratitude a habit, we can begin to change the emotional tone of our lives, creating more space for joy and connection with others.”

This week, we’ve shared a number of practices for cultivating gratitude. As we move into Thursday, here are a few additional impactful practices:

  • Gratitude list/journaling
  • Gratitude letter
  • Affirmation or gratitude and appreciation quotes 

Ready to get started?
One of today’s gratitude practice recommendations is gratitude journaling — listing all the things (big or small) that we are thankful for. We can also take what we did yesterday (Workplace Wednesday) a step further by sending a thoughtful note or gratitude letter to someone who has made a positive impact and for whom we are grateful. Additionally, Thankful Thursday is a great opportunity to focus on discovering and trying a new gratitude quote or positive affirmation. There are many tools and resources that can help you in your gratitude journey.

For more suggestions to help you keep going this Thankful Thursday, visit the growing collection of gratitude resources curated by NOVA’s OEWW for this spring’s Gratitude and Appreciation Week. Feel free to share additional resources that you have found to be especially impactful. Email your additions to employeewellbeing@nvcc.edu using the subject line “Impactful Gratitude Practices.”

Image of light green lotus flower on a white background. At bottom right corner is a cartoon drawing of a woman wearing a yellow sweater and green pants; she lifts her arms in celebration. Superimposed over the green lotus flower image is the following text: Header: Gratitude and Appreciation Week Day 4: Thankful Thursday Keep going! Add these high-impact practices to your gratitude toolkit. - Gratitude list/journaling - Gratitude letter - Affirmations or gratitude and appreciation quotes Gratitude is like a muscle — the more you practice it, the more your gratefulness will grow.

Submitted by: 
Dahlia Henry-Tett, Chief Wellness Officer (CWO), employeewellbeing@nvcc.edu