Think about your go-to move after you’ve had a bad day. Maybe you round up the crew for happy hour drinks and a much needed vent-session. Or, you head home to inhale an order of take-out and stream a feel-good flick. Or maybe the spa is the answer and you book an impromptu manicure-pedicure service.
As restorative as those may be, they all have one small problem in common: They cost money! Which is why we feel compelled to point you in the direction of a ~free~ alternative that will get your spirits up, ASAP. And that’s taking time to appreciate life as it is, a.k.a, practicing an attitude of gratitude.
And before you roll your eyes, hear me out. Numerous studies have shown that gratitude can improve your mood and even help those who struggle with mental health concerns. And gratitude is definitely having a moment, lest we forget our queen Ariana Grande who’s chart-topping “thank u, next” track boasts a chorus that repeats, “I’m so fuckin’ grateful for my ex.”
If the concept of gratitude still seems a little too nebulous or cheesy, allow the 11 quotes ahead from some of our favorite icons to show you how small acts of grace really improve your well-being. Or at the very least, make you forget all about that bad day you had.
11 quotes that inspire an attitude of gratitude
“Being grateful all the time isn’t easy. But it’s when you least feel thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you: perspective. Gratitude can transform any situation. It alters your vibration, moving you from negative energy to positive. It’s the quickest, easiest most powerful way to effect change in your life.” –Oprah Winfrey
“Where there is gratitude, there is the realization that we can find happiness and peace even when things are not going our way.” –Arianna Huffington
“Gratitude is looking on the brighter side of life, even if it means hurting your eyes.” ―Ellen DeGeneres
“‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.” —Alice Walker
“I’ve been really trying to practice the Oprah Winfrey ritual: I check in with gratitude and grace when I wake up. I can be in a little bit of a state of overwhelm and panic if I don’t start out being connected to grace and gratitude.” —Kerry Washington
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” –Willie Nelson
“[At the end of an exhausting day] I think of all of the things I am grateful for… my family, my health, my business, my friends… and I try to focus on that and breathe.” —Diane von Furstenberg
“Gratitude is the closest thing to beauty manifested in an emotion.” —Mindy Kaling
“I looked around and thought about my life. I felt grateful. I noticed every detail. That is the key to time travel. You can only move if you are actually in the moment. You have to be where you are to get where you need to go.” ―Amy Poehler
“Write thank-you letters. On a practical level, it’s just common sense. People like doing things for people who are grateful. I’ve talked to employers who say that the applicants who send a thank-you letter after an interview go right to the top of the pile.” —David Sedaris
