Wow! It’s already here! Our favorite time of year! This month is all about being thankful, reflecting on all things good in our lives and being happy, generous, and giving. It’s The Season of Gratitude!
Most people would define gratitude as the feeling of being thankful and having an appreciation for the things that are valuable or meaningful to you. Every year around this time, we are reminded to be thankful for what we have and, more importantly, thankful for family and those we love and cherish in our lives. But research shows that being thankful and having a focus on gratitude year-round (not just at Thanksgiving), can benefit us in mind, body, and spirit more consistently. Living in gratitude and focusing on being grateful each day can actually radiate natural beauty from the inside out.
So how does this seemingly internal feeling result in an external attribute? Taking the time to be thankful and appreciative of the things you have, tangible or intangible, makes you feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improves your health, and helps you to better deal with adversity and the day to day stressors of life. Studies have shown that gratitude can also help you build stronger relationships, improve your physical and mental health, and is pretty easy to incorporate into your life, even just a little bit at a time. The radiant beauty that you’ll experience from practicing gratitude comes from within but shows on your skin. When you’re happy, you glow. It’s the same way a blushing bride has that natural glow of happiness or an expectant mom has that glowing look during pregnancy. Gratitude releases the same physiological chemicals in our brains and body that contribute to “the glow”.
Since living in gratitude can bring on a new level of connection in your lifestyle as a whole, doesn’t it make sense to want to practice and experience it year-round? Here are some of my favorite ways to start practicing gratitude, not just for what it can do for you, but for what it will enable you to do for others…the gratitude glow and added benefits of happiness are just icing on the cake!
- Dedicate time every day to being grateful. – Practicing gratitude entails taking time out every day to think about the positive things in our lives that we are grateful for. This is a very conscious action, at least at the start, to dedicate time to focus our thoughts and attention on all the good things that we have and experience in our daily lives.
- End each day with a moment of gratitude. – Gratitude helps you to sleep better. If you practice gratitude before you go to bed you will end your day on a positive note. Positive thoughts reduce stress and let you sleep better. And everyone can benefit from a little bit of additional beauty sleep!
- Keep a gratitude journal. – As mentioned above finishing your day with thoughts of gratitude will help you sleep better, in turn, making you healthier and happier. Keep a notebook beside your bed and make sure you take the time to write three to five things you are grateful for every single day.
- Give Back! – Last but not least, relish in the old adage “it’s better to give than to receive”. Try to do something nice, special, or needed for someone else every single day. You’ll secretly find that this might possibly be the best of the advice for living in gratitude every day.
I started practicing of few of these actions as well as others in my own way and I can say that I feel even more gratitude because of it. A while back I started to seek out ways of giving back with intention towards making sure I could really make a difference in the lives of others. And I can honestly say that, when I look at my life, I have so much gratitude. I’m grateful for my life, grateful for my family, grateful that I have such a wonderful career and clients, and I even feel very grateful for the beauty industry. You might be thinking “hmm, … that’s something weird to be thankful for”, but without the beauty industry I wouldn’t have the amazing life I have now, and for that, I am forever grateful.
The beauty industry, like any industry, is often tough to succeed in. It can be hard to get your name out there because there are lots of amazingly talented estheticians and skincare specialists. But without the beauty industry, I would not be the same person I am today. I have learned so much, and continue to learn; the industry is its own fast and growing world and for that I’m grateful.
During this time of year, I always like to stop, breathe, and remember how far I’ve come and be thankful for where I am headed. I am so blessed to service loyal and long term clients, while I help to provide for my family by doing something I love in a business that I’ve worked hard to build up. I am so grateful that I have such amazing clients who trust me with their skin. Without all of you, I wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with my family. I am so blessed to be in the beauty industry where you are able to create a work/life balance by setting your own hours and services.
I am thankful for being able to wake up each day and go work without it feeling like a job. Skincare is my passion and I absolutely love that my clients leave happier and feeling more beautiful each and every time they come to see me.
So during this season of gratitude and Thanksgiving, stop, breathe, and think about what you are grateful for often. Pay it forward, give back, and be gracious and giving whenever you can. A little advice that we can all use year-round but especially during the holidays.
Jamie Ortiz of Tru Skin Rituals is a licensed esthetician, healthy skin advocate, age management strategist, and authority on corrective skincare.
