by Jennifer Riggins

We are taught by our parents and then our teachers to say thank you. So it becomes an automatic thing. But is that a good thing? Nowadays, “thanks” is in our automatic email signatures. We say thanks without even making eye contact with cashiers or even those that hold doors for us. It’s become like the Pledge of Allegiance a the start of each American kid’s school day or “sorry” in British — completely devout of meaning.

But clinging to these rituals is risky because gratitude is good for you.

Gratitude is actually really good for you!

Practicing gratitude warms your heart, quite literally. Gratitude has been found by science to make you healthier.

“Clinical trials indicate that the practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting effects in a person’s life,” said Robert A. Emmons, professor of psychology at UC Davis. “It can lower blood pressure, improve immune function and facilitate more efficient sleep.”

And it’s just not our physical health. It’s part of a wholistic wellbeing. Just taking five minutes a day to maintain a gratitude journal is proven to make you five to ten percent happier. Imagine the impact if you shared those thoughts with the people you’re writing about?

As Happier Human puts it: “gratitude triggers positive feedback loops.”
And, of course, gratitude makes you a better manager and colleague. In fact, according to Fast Company, “Lack of gratitude is a major factor driving job dissatisfaction, turnover, absenteeism, and often, burnout.”

After all, we want to feel valued in our job, don’t we? So why wouldn’t we take the effort to make people feel valued in return?

But those are all the selfish reasons. After all, our parents (and grandparents) aren’t teaching us to say thank you just because it’s societal protocol. It’s because gratitude is the right attitude. Which is why we are encouraging you to say Thank You in November and all year long!

How can you say Thank You?

Examples of what you could do? Well, you can certainly send a Kudo or public recognition of thanks, like the one above or tweet one via KudoBox.co.

You could give a toast and then write about it in the comments below.

You can write an old-fashioned thank you note.

You can cook dinner for your favorite relative who has done so much for you.

You can do so many things.

So what are you waiting for? Go say #ThankYou and then tell us about it! We promise, you’ll feel better for it! And by sharing your ideas, you can help others say thank you too!

Photo: Rawpixel, Unsplash