To compose a gratitude letter, call to mind someone who did something for you for which you are extremely grateful whom you haven’t thanked.
- So this person might be a relative, a friend, a teacher, or a colleague. Ideally it’s someone who’s still living and someone you could possibly meet with face to face or virtually in the next week or so.
Now get out a notebook, or you can do this on a computer if you prefer, and write a letter to this person. And in this letter, it’s helpful to describe in really specific terms the following:
- What this person did
- Why you’re grateful for what this person did
- How this person’s actions and behaviors impacted your life
- What did it do to benefit you
- What you’re doing in your life right now, and how you often remember his or her efforts
Try to keep your letter roughly to one page, and then think about how to deliver your letter.
Science shows – A bigger effect of gratitude letters has been reported when people actually deliver the letter. Getting together with the person and reading them what you wrote leads to bigger boosts in happiness.
And while you’re reading, pay attention to how you feel and how you can see them feeling, and be open to discussing what you said in your letter, and offer to leave your letter with them after the whole meeting is done.
So go ahead, write a gratitude letter!
