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As women in today’s society, we often hold ourselves to high standards. Many women want it all: marriage, kids, a career, free time! The problem is that with impossible goals, the day-to-day things can get lost. It’s easy to push off being happy, living in the moment, and living the best life, when thinking about working for long-term happiness. Instead of waiting to be happy in the future, work to add in smaller goals and gratitude to make life happier now!

Practicing gratitude on a regular basis can help relieve stress and put you (and those around you) in a better mood. Small changes can go a long way toward a fresh outlook on life. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, we thought we’d share some ideas on how to practice gratitude:

1. Establish a gratitude routine. Work in daily gratitude into your day in the morning or evening by taking 1 to 2 minutes to establish what you are thankful for on that particular day. Get in the habit of sitting quietly and either thinking or writing down these items each day.
2. Make a list! Yes, that’ right, write down all the things you are grateful for: your spouse, your kids, your dog, your home…you get the idea. Try to come up with 50 or 75 items that make you thankful!
3. Meditate. Even if you don’t see yourself as spiritual, consider trying yoga and setting an intention to be grateful. If public classes aren’t your thing, there are plenty of apps and videos online for guided meditations or yoga. The idea is to sit quietly and reflect on the positives aspects of your daily life.
4. Strive to impress yourself, not others. It’s too easy to constantly be worrying about what other people think. Move away from worrying about what you can’t control and work on being your best self. This can include career, family, and friend relations, but also just an overall outlook on life.
5. Embrace empathy. Being happy doesn’t mean you have to step on people to get there. Establishing appreciation for those around you will help you grow and develop empathy. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Don’t make assumptions about others.
6. Support other females in your community. Many women struggle with stress on a daily basis. Instead of competing and judging other women, look for ways to bolster and encourage them! Help others and, ideally, others will help you.
7. Avoid procrastination. There’s a sense of accomplishment that goes along with finishing tasks. Make a to-do list and cross things off as you finish. Keep goals modest and attainable for each day. Instead writing down a lofty goal to sew three Halloween customs or write an entire proposal, start with small goals. Divide the huge project up into tasks that can be completed each day.
8. When all else fails, believe in yourself. Look inward to build confidence. You won’t succeed if you don’t even try, so trust in your own abilities to handle things. In order to be happy, you have to believe in yourself and trust your own decisions.