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Posts Tagged gratitude

A Time for Thank You: Appreciating Your Home

Thank You NoteBy Carole Hyder

During this season of giving thanks for the beautiful and abundant life that we have, I remind students, clients, friends, and myself that it’s also the time to give thanks to your home.

If you have no issues with your home and have, in fact, had a nice connection with it, writing a thank-you will solidify this positive relationship.

Writing a thank-you to your home, however, can go a long way in bringing some relief to a troubled and ailing space.  It’s helpful when you’re unhappy with your home for whatever reason.  Rather than looking to move or harboring resentments, a cheaper and easier action to take is to write your home a thank-you note.

Here’s how to write a thank-you to your home:

  1. Use an actual thank-you note or special stationery to write your letter.  Due to the small size of a typical thank-you, you will have to keep your message short and succinct.
  2. Start with “Dear___________.”  If you have a name for your home, you can insert here.  If not “Dear Home” is fine.
  3. List two reasons you are thankful for your home.  Examples:  I want to thank you for making me feel safe.  I appreciate how you keep me warm all winter long.
  4. Outline two actions you will take regarding your home.  Examples:  I promise to get the back door fixed before winter.  I promise to finish painting the bathroom.  I promise to clear out the clutter in the basement.
  5. Sign off with your name.  Love, __________.  All the best, ___________.
  6. Place the thank-you note in a special place in your home—-in your nightstand drawer, under a plant near the front door, under your pillow.

Writing a thank-you does not take the place of cleaning your home or making needed repairs or beautifying it.  But perhaps coming from a grateful heart will make the actions to which you committed more meaningful and healing.

Feeling Grateful…and Adding It to a Jar

gratitude-jarBy Lisa Janusz

The season of giving thanks is here; we start with Thanksgiving and then move into Christmas. While this can be a time of activity (and stress), the basis of the season is to be grateful for what we have and show appreciation to others. I realize it doesn’t always work out that way…

Several years ago I was going through a rough period and I came across an article about gratitude jars. I decided to try it; maybe focusing on the good each day would help lift my chi.

And research supports it. In one Harvard study people were asked to write a few sentences each week about either being grateful, being irritated or just an event in general. The results: “After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation.”

It helped. A lot. So I’m encouraging you to do the same. You know we’re all about energy with Feng Shui and a gratitude jar is a good way to do some reflection and remind yourself to be grateful.

It’s a simple set up. (And DO set it up so it’s easy to do.)

  • Grab any jar (not too small!) and decorate it (simple is fine)
  • Cut pieces of paper or buy a small pad
  • Add a pen or colored pencils
  • Commit to writing either every day, every other day or at a minimum every week
  • And those times when you need your chi lifted, write something for – or read something from – the jar

Some days were easy, while others were more of a challenge. But I did it and it made a difference. And I still add to it, just not as regularly.

So if you think you might need a little extra help remembering the reason for the season, think about adding a gratitude jar to your life. Rest assured, you all made it in mine -I’m grateful for YOU and this community.

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