“Happy Thoughts” Book
We’ve heard that gratitude is an essential element for feeling happy.
“Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. “ –Giving thanks can make you happier, Harvard Health Publishing, August 2021
When my kids were young, I wanted to remind them of all the good things in life when they were dealing with hard emotions. But just using words didn’t seem very effective all the time. Maybe because I’m such a visual learner, I decided to have a collection of pictures we could pull out when we were feeling down, or having a tantrum or stuck in a difficult emotion. We called it our “Happy Thoughts” book. When my kids needed to cool off or take a time away, I wouldn’t just leave them on their own, I’d make sure to give them this book to reflect on the good and positive things they have in their lives, and not spiral into negative thoughts and feelings. This simple tool diffused a lot of tantrums and shortened the time when they were feeling ok again.
Although I created it for my kids, I found myself picturing what was in that little book in my times of darkness. And many years later, I still have a visual sunshine collection in my mind when I need a little light in the darkness.
You can create you own little “Happy Thoughts” book simply & quickly. All you need is…
Plastic photo book from the Dollar Store, Walmart, Target, etc. I liked this version because it gave me peace of mind when little ones were handling it.
Favorite Photos
“Happy Thoughts” cover. Download here and print off on favorite color (or sunshine yellow)
Things to include in your “Happy Thoughts” book…
Family
Favorite food
Favorite place to visit
Something that makes you laugh
Something in nature that you love
Jesus Christ
Things you are grateful for
*Note: I have just one book for the whole family, so it is a collection of everyone’s favorite things, but you could also make a book per person.
Sending sunshine vibes your way!
