Operation Oxygen Mask (OOM) Week 17: Gratitude #3

I hope this e-mail finds you all well, and that you’ve been able to spend some time in the past 2 weeks reflecting on what you are thankful for. I’ve really enjoyed hearing what some of those things are. My plan for next week (post-Thanksgiving) is to share some of those with everyone else. I’d love to collect as many things as possible, so please send me an e-mail with something you are grateful for! I will keep it totally anonymous.

For this week, as we all figure out how to do Thanksgiving in an atypical way, here are some ideas for activities you can do by yourself or with loved ones:

- Gratitude journaling (more extensive than previously suggested): carve out 30 minutes to sit down and just write about what you feel grateful for. What are the silver linings in your life right now? You’re also welcome to write about the things that make you feel sad right now.

- Write a poem or send a thank-you letter (I know, another repeat…)

- Create a gratitude tree – a great one to do with kids. Cut out colored pieces of construction paper and have everyone write a few things they are thankful for. Then tape them on a wall, attach to strings to hang from a ceiling fan like a mobile, or tie them to an actual plant

- Create a gratitude jar – you could do this one all week, or for the rest of 2020 – Get a large mason jar or vase and some sticky notes or cut scraps of paper. Write things that you are grateful for on the papers. Maybe one per day, a whole bunch on Thanksgiving day, or randomly whenever you think of something. Keep the jar as something you can pull out and look through whenever you need a little pick-me-up.

- Plan to share a list of things each person is thankful for during a virtual family gathering. Make it more fun by playing charades on Zoom (or whatever video platform you use) rather than just reading a list.

- There are hundreds of suggestions online for cool things you can do with your kids (e.g. this one: https://www.seattleschild.com/the-playlist-crafts-science-and-activities-for-kids-that-are-all-about-gratitude/) But if all you have the energy for these days is getting some re-heated food on the table and saying “I am glad we can share this meal today,” you are doing great!