Another gratitude challenge for the month of October
Gratitude Challenge- Stranger Appreciation
The challenge: Do this stranger appreciation exercise at least once per day for one week
Time: 5 minutes
Requirements: Just your sense of observation and your voice.
- Throughout the day, pay attention to your interactions with other people, however long or brief they may be. These interactions do not have to be in person. They can include telephone and online interactions.
- Pay attention to how you feel during and after your interactions. Take note of any improvement in your mood,and why. Whether it be the result of a kind word, good service, helpfulness, consideration, etc.
- Express appreciation in 1 or 2 of those moments. Specify what that person did specifically to improve your mood.
Outcome: As with the other exercises, simply expressing appreciation will improve your mood. Over time, you may also develop a more positive outlook, as you become more mindful of the good people do.
Theory behind exercise: By paying attention to the positive impact of others, you become mindful of the interaction. You also become more aware of how good it makes you feel. It therefore becomes easier to feel and express gratitude and experience the benefits of doing so. As mentioned in the previous two exercises, these benefits include optimism, decreased sense of loneliness and isolation, an improved immune system, and lower blood pressure. Additionally, by continuously making an active effort to notice these interactions, you create a more positive framework from which to see people. This can lead to further positive interactions. Additional benefits from this exercise could be the satisfaction of providing a bright moment in someone’s day. After all, who does not appreciate being acknowledged in a positive way.
So keep on feeling and expressing that gratitude!
We would love to know what your experience was like with this stranger appreciation in the comments below!