A Gratitude Practice For Tweens & Moms

Gratitude has far-reaching effects. This practice, designed for mother and tween or teen together, explores this vital skill for mental health, while offering a practice to cultivate gratitude so that it becomes more habitual in everyday living. It's all about learning to appreciate the little things.

Transcript

Welcome,

And thank you for joining me in this mindfulness exercise on gratitude.

I'd like you and your mom to get comfortable for this exercise.

You can sit on the floor or in a chair or even lie down if you want.

I'm going to take you step by step on an exploration of what gratitude actually is and all the great things it can give you.

So please take a minute to get really comfortable.

Let your attention move through your body for any places that might not be quite relaxed or comfortable yet.

Make any small changes you need to to get cozy.

Then let your eyes softly close.

And take four deep relaxing breaths.

Feel how your body automatically lets go a bit more every time you breathe out.

Great.

So what exactly is gratitude?

It's really just the feeling of being thankful and acting thankful.

You might be thankful for the new game or new jacket you got for your birthday,

Or the fact that it stopped raining for your soccer game,

Or that you have a mother who loves you and is always there for you.

So bring to mind something you feel grateful for in your life right now.

It can be something big like your mom's love or something small like a warm cap on a cold day.

What is the thing you're grateful for?

It can be hard sometimes to think of something good at first.

If it is,

Just take a breath.

There are no right or wrong answers.

Just gently think about something positive that has happened to you.

It feels good,

Doesn't it?

Feeling thankful about things just feels good.

It helps you relax and feel,

Even just for a minute,

That life's good.

And why is gratitude important?

There are so many reasons.

Most of us get out of balance sometimes.

We spend more time complaining and seeing everything that's wrong than we do being grateful.

And you know what?

That's not your fault.

Did you know that your brain evolved as a danger detector?

Our ancient ancestors survived by being good at noticing bad things like a tiger in the trees or a thunderstorm coming toward them.

It helped them survive.

But today,

When our lives are much safer than they were before,

We need to help our brains notice the good things too.

Why?

Because noticing good things makes us happy.

It makes us appreciate the nice things people do for us and how there are many amazing things in the world like that giant cedar tree,

Computers,

Or homemade cinnamon buns.

It helps us feel less lonely,

Anxious,

Or depressed.

We're more optimistic,

Hopeful,

And creative.

And not only that,

Scientists tell us that gratitude is healthy.

It helps you sleep better,

Reduces your blood pressure,

Makes your immune system stronger so you don't get sick as often,

And other good things.

Pretty amazing.

An even more amazing thing is that a little goes a long way.

You don't have to have something huge to be grateful about like a new iPad or winning the state basketball championships.

When you feel grateful for everyday things like a warm breakfast,

A sunny day,

Your backpack that holds all your school stuff,

Or your cozy bed,

All those great healthy things start happening.

So enough talk.

Let's do some gratitude practice.

We'll start right where you are.

Keep your eyes closed and pay attention to the room where you're sitting or lying right now.

Notice that you're safe,

Warm,

And comfortable.

You're inside,

Out of the cold or heat or wind.

Quietly,

In your mind,

Say to yourself,

I'm grateful for being safe,

Warm,

And comfortable.

Repeat these words to yourself a few more times.

And just do your best to feel safe and warm and comfortable.

When you really feel it,

You may find that you automatically feel grateful.

I'm grateful for being safe,

Warm,

And comfortable.

You're doing great.

And now think of something you're grateful for at school.

And remember,

It can be big or small.

Do you have a fun teacher you really like?

Or a close friend who sits beside you and makes a boring class better?

Or a favorite spot where you can go to be alone and think?

And mom,

Think of one thing you're grateful for during your days at work or school or home wherever you spend most of your days.

Really feel how lucky you are to have this.

Imagine your life without that thing.

And come back to being grateful and what gratitude feels like in your body,

Mind,

And heart.

Here's an important thing to know about gratitude.

It doesn't mean you have to ignore things that aren't so good.

You might have an injury or be sick.

Your family might be going through something hard.

Or you're having a fight with your best friend.

Gratitude just means you choose to see the good things too.

Everyone has hard things going on in their lives sometimes.

So being able to see the good is like medicine.

Finding something to be thankful for will help you feel better.

To see and feel there are good things all around you if you can just notice them.

Now think about your mom.

What is one thing about her that you're really grateful for?

Does she make great pancakes?

Does she really listen when you're upset or excited about something?

Does she pick you up every day from school no matter what?

Think of one thing,

Big or small.

Find just one thing and then really feel it.

What does your gratitude feel like?

In your mind and in your body and in your heart.

Whatever you notice is exactly right.

And mom,

Think about your child.

What is one thing about them that you're grateful for?

How they make you laugh or how they think for themselves or the way they treat their brother or sister.

Think of one thing,

Big or small.

Find just one thing and then really feel it.

What does gratitude feel like?

In your mind and in your body and in your heart.

Whatever you notice is exactly right.

Feeling gratitude for each other is also like a kind of medicine.

For times when you're stressed about something or even about each other,

You can choose to remember something good,

Something you're grateful for.

Because when you feel gratitude,

You can't be stressed or mad at the same time.

Gratitude is super powerful.

So you can give yourself and each other a gratitude break.

For now,

Just feel your gratitude for each other about one thing,

Big or small.

And then try to think of even more.

Think of three things you're grateful for about each other.

What is the biggest thing you're grateful for?

If you're like most people,

You'll be surprised at how many things you're grateful for about each other if you just let yourself notice them.

Just enjoy that feeling.

And now for a moment,

Please gently open your eyes and look at each other.

You don't need to say anything.

Just feel the gratitude and how it changes everything.

It makes everything easier and kinder.

And you're doing that all by yourself just by choosing to think of things you're grateful for.

And let your eyes close again.

You've both done a great job today.

Remember how simple and yet how powerful gratitude is.

And come back to this exercise any time you want,

Listen together or on your own.

Take a few big breaths.

Move your arms and legs a bit.

And open your eyes.

And have a wonderful,

Grateful day.

Reviews

Fabulous! I did this with my 3 boys before bed. Absolutely precious experience! Thank you!

Lovely! Thank you x

That was beautiful. Thank you.

Very lovely meditation. Only critique is the volume was very low, and we couldnt hear some parts over the rain coming down outside.