30 Day Gratitude Challenge for 2024: Joy in 5 Minutes a Day
Challenge Yourself With 30 Days of Gratitude!
I’m writing with fall in the air. Step outside and you’ll find red and yellow hues brightening the streets. Hear leaves crunch beneath your feet. Feel a hint of cool air on your face. And smell the fragrant spice burning in a candle.
Do you notice these things?
Stop long enough to savor them?
Appreciation is an essential happiness skill. And it gets better with practice.
Today, start the inspired 30 day gratitude challenge (with a free printable!). It has a variety of ways to count your blessings, but also positive actions to make you feel like a million bucks. Here’s why:
Powerful Gratitude Challenge Benefits
When participants in a study combined gratitude journaling with a behavioral action, they reported even higher positive emotions than those who only wrote down their gratitude (O’Connell, et al., 2017).
Another study reports that when you express gratitude to your partner, you build your relationship and actually change your view of it. (source)
Gratitude journals are an amazing way to improve your life. But it’s beneficial to take your practice up a notch too.
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30 Days of Gratitude Challenge Ideas
Don’t forget to download your free 30 day gratitude challenge pdf at the end!
Day 1: Create a heartfelt connection
Whether it’s for a birthday or just to say hello, send a positive word off to someone today!
Related Post: List of Ways to Say I Love You
Day 2: Make a stranger’s day with a kindness act
This can be small or large! Not sure what to do? Try one of these:
- Pick up litter at your nearby park
- Make dinner for a family that needs a night off
- Leave a kind note or money in a library book
- Pay for someone’s meal or coffee
- Leave an unusually large tip
- Thank a teacher with a small gift
- Get groceries for a senior
- Lend someone a book or movie you love
For more easy acts of kindness, check out THIS great list!
Related: Get kids into kindness activities too!
Day 3: Thank your mom
Moms are the best! They are often our biggest cheerleaders and most supportive friends. So, let your mom know how much she means to you today. Grandmas and other women who lift you up could also use the love today!
Day 4: Enjoy a beautiful mirror moment
We are often our own worst critics. So, stand in front of the mirror and point out at least 3 things you love about your body.
Then, take it a step further by appreciating everything your body enables you to do daily.
Related:
Day 5: Bake a delicious treat
An excuse for goodies? Why not?!
Bake (or buy) a treat and make extras for a neighbor, friend, or family member. Drop some off and feel the love!
If you’re short on time or energy, pick up an extra coffee for your partner or nearby friend. If coffee isn’t your thing, pick another item that costs around $5 and bring it to someone you love.
Above all, don’t overcomplicate it!
Day 6: Try a gratitude meditation
Take your usual gratitude a step further with a simple meditation. These are not as woo-woo as you think, and you may find that you feel insanely blessed by the end!
Try one here:
Day 7: Write about a memorable meal
We often eat without noticing the delicious goodness that goes into our mouths. So, today write your favorite meal and why you’re grateful for it. Does it make you feel comforted? Does it fuel your body?
Now, notice this simple but powerful joy in your life.
Day 8: Acknowledge what money can’t buy
Next, on a piece of paper write something you are thankful for that has nothing to do with worldly possessions.
Perhaps you’re grateful for the love of your family. Or the way your body feels after a hard workout. Chances are you’ll have many things you are blessed with that cost nothing.
Pro Tip: put up positive gratitude quotes in your home! They’ll inspire you throughout the challenge.
Day 9: List five sensory blessings
Get in touch with your sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste. What are your favorite things regarding your senses?
Day 10: Write a glowing review of a company you love
We all have companies that have served us well. Take a quick moment today to give them a positive review, whether it’s on Amazon, Yelp, social media, or a handwritten card.
Day 11: Send a thank you to someone who inspired you
Who do you admire? Who inspires you to go after life? Let them know! Maybe this is a good friend, or perhaps it’s someone you follow from afar. Whatever the case, send them a little love today.
Day 12: Write something you are looking forward to
In your notebook, write down something that you’re excited about. What makes you look forward to this experience? Anticipation is as important as the actual experience.
Day 13: Share your appreciation for a gift
Write down a gift that you received that made your heart swell. Or perhaps it helped you in an astonishing way. What is it about the gift that you are grateful for?
Mine is the 12 days of Christmas gift!
Day 14: Thank your dad
Dads can be the unsung heroes in our lives, and their presence and love are incredibly important. Take a moment today to say thank you in any way you choose (i.e. text message, in-person, card, or phone call)
Related: Free All About Dad Interview for Kids
Day 15: Write a memory you cherish
We all have memories that we hold near and dear to our hearts.
Today, take a moment to remember this moment vividly and write down the experience. Visualize and feel the emotions.
Day 16: Share a goal you achieved
Next, write down an accomplishment you are proud of. Why did you achieve it? What qualities did you cultivate to be able to reach your goal?
For a moment, give yourself the pat on the back you deserve. And appreciate the fine person you are.
Day 17: Go one day without complaining
This is harder than it seems!
For one day, refrain from complaining about anything. Go by the old mantra “if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
You may just find that your day is more positive without these words pushing you down!
Day 18: Do something that loves on your body
Our bodies give us life and freedom. Plus, they take a good amount of daily abuse. So, show it appreciation today! Check out these easy self care activities or sign up for the toolkit below for ideas and a daily checklist sent straight to your inbox!
Related Self-Care Posts:
- Start a Free Weekly Self Care Checklist
- How to Wake Up at 5am and Not Be Tired
- Unique Ideas for Your Self Care Kit
Day 19: Find a photo that makes your heart sing
This one is quick! Take a fast look at your photos and pick out one that makes you smile. What do you love about it? And why?
If you have a few more minutes, reflect on multiple photos. Consider why each brings you joy and gratitude.
Day 20: Think of 3 amazing things that happened in the last week
Even in the toughest of weeks, there are wonderful moments. So, find them! List 3 amazing moments you cherish.
Day 21: Donate items you no longer need
For a second, recognize how blessed you are to have the things that you do.
Then, spend a few minutes going through your house and decluttering the items that no longer suit you. Unload them at your nearest drop-off for someone who will appreciate them.
Day 22: Cook a meal for someone who’s tired or stressed
It may have been a stressful year, and many of us have a lot on our plates. Today, take the time to cook extra food for someone you know would appreciate it.
If you’re making it anyway, it’s not much extra work and it will make THE DAY of your friend or family member.
Related: Best Freezer Meals for Weeknights
Day 23: Thank the author of a book you loved
Next, have you read a book this year that moved you? Or engrossed you to the point that you ignored your family? Send a note of appreciation to the author, and tell them why you loved the book so much.
Related: Best Books to Start Reading Again
Day 24: Savor one meal today (Gratitude Challenge)
Do you notice the food you eat every day? For one meal today, smell and look at the food before you dig in. Then, put down your fork between bites. TASTE what is going into your mouth and note why you enjoy it.
Day 25: Spend time with loved ones
This one is simple! Commit to spending undistracted, positive time with those you love today. Notice how precious the moments are with them.
Bonus: Drop these free kids love notes off too!
Day 26: Write about what made you smile or laugh today
Regardless of how the day went, there is likely something that made you smile. What was it and why did you have that reaction?
Day 27: Take a photo of something you are grateful for today
Pull out your camera and take a picture of something you appreciate. This could be natural beauty, your loved ones, or your favorite spot in your home.
If you have extra time, take a multitude of pictures and go through all of them at the end of the day.
Day 28: Write down something you thrive at
We all have strengths and talents. But sometimes, we don’t give ourselves enough credit for them.
Today, write down one thing that you excel at. Don’t be shy! Also, give yourself a pat on the back for the hard work you’ve put in to develop that skill or talent.
Day 29: Reach out to someone you love
Next, get in touch with one person today and tell them one thing you appreciate about them. Perhaps he always supports you when you need it. Or she always takes out the trash.
What it is doesn’t really matter, but notice it and reach out to tell the person.
Related: Reasons I Love You Printable
Day 30: Start a gratitude journal challenge
Finally, as you may be realizing, daily gratitude is an EASY way to boost your happiness!
So, put this lifelong habit into your daily routine. And if gratitude journal prompts seem like too much of a commitment, start with a list and add 1-2 items every day.
For journal recommendations, see this simple pdf:
Free 30 Day Gratitude Challenge pdf
Grab the free calendar!
Pro Tip: Stick it on your fridge so you see it every time you walk by!
Grab even more life changing and feel-good printables in the Self Care Workbook >>
What’s Next? Keep the Good Stuff Flowing
Once you’ve finished the gratitude challenge, try
Pro Tip: Create a fun visual by writing what you are grateful for each day and then putting your slips of paper in a jar. Fill up that jar!
Or find more ideas: 21 Easy Ways to Build Gratitude
Open Your Heart Anytime
While many explore extra gratitude in the month of November, there’s no right way to do the challenge! Start any month and begin whatever day you’d like.
To Consider With Gratitude Challenge Ideas
Just remember…
“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.”
Voltaire
These actions will no doubt get you out of your comfort zone, and that doesn’t always look pretty! Do not let that stop you from growing!
Which actions in the gratitude challenge are your favorite?
Other Healthy Happy Impactful Posts You May Enjoy…
- Fun Fall Bucket List for Families – Easy activities for more fun!
- 50 Sweet Texts to Send Your Husband – Connect in a better way.
- Bright Morning Affirmations – Start every day intentionally.