Practicing gratitude daily has been proven to help maintain good mental health.   Here are some ideas for peppering gratitude throughout your day.    Many of these also function as mindfulness activities, as bringing our awareness to the present moment opens our minds to the many sources of joy around us.  Add to this list by posting your own ideas in the comments!

1.  Wake up. Thank your bed for its wonderful warmth,

2. Stretch your toes toward the foot of the bed and your arms toward the ceiling.  Appreciate each muscle that tenses to help you.

3. Relax your limbs.  Enjoy the warm sensation that flows through them.

4. Step mindfully toward your shower.   Feel the floor supporting your feet.

5. Feel the water wash over you.  Follow a single stream from where it first touches you to where it enters the drain.  Appreciate your access to this resource.

6. Enjoy the smell of your shampoo or body wash.  Pop any bubbles you see one by one.

7. Smile into the mirror.  Notice the sparkle in your eyes.

8. Savor the taste of your coffee or breakfast.  Remember the many people who have helped get this food from the farm to your hands.

9. Touch your partner, child, or pet or reach out to a friend.  Enjoy feeling connected.

10. Step outside.  Feel the air on your skin or the sunshine on your shoulders.

11. Get into your car/bus/train.  Appreciate the heat or air conditioning that makes you comfortable.

12. Listen to music or a podcast you enjoy.  Hear the tones or themes you don’t normally attend to.

13. Arrive at work./school.   Thank yourself and your car for the safe journey.

14. Look for something in your favorite color.  Thank your vision for enabling this.

15. Complete a task.  Notice the wisdom and experience that you used to complete it.

16. Remember a teacher or experience that helped you build the competence you have today.

17. Drink a glass of water.   Appreciate the refreshment it brings.

18. Go outside.  Listen to the leaves rustling on the trees or blowing across the ground.

19. Imagine what a really great workday feels like.   Find one small thing from that imagined scenario that you can do today.

20. Notice what you already like about your job/school.

21. Think of someone who helped you today.

22. Have a mint or a piece of gum.  Appreciate the cool sensation it brings.

23. Stretch.   Notice how your body feels afterward.

24. Look for an interesting cloud in the sky.

25. Head home.  Decide which scene you see on your way is the loveliest.

26. Consider who you will see when you arrive at home.   Think of something you appreciate about them, and plan to thank them for it.

27. Share thanks with your family members for their contributions to the family or household.

28. Savor the thanks you receive in return.

29. Do something silly.  Appreciate your ability to play.

30. Find something with a texture that feels good to you.  Enjoy touching it.

31. Take a deep breath.  Thank your breath for sustaining you through this day.

32. Do something that makes you laugh.

33. Thank your socks or sweater for keeping you warm today, or your awesome shades for keeping you cool.

34. Apply lotion or wash your body, attending to each part of your body as you do so.

35. Thank the author for a book you enjoy.

36. Appreciate the shelter your home provides.

37. Express your gratitude for the rest you are now able to take.

38. Imagine having a beautiful dream as you drift off to sleep.