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NATIONAL SAY IT NOW DAY
December 17 is National Say It Now Day as a day to tell friends and loved ones how important they are to us by expressing gratitude for all the ways they’ve impacted our lives. With the year winding down, it’s the perfect time to show gratitude to those around us for all they have done during the year.
We all need to make time for gratitude. National Say It Now Day gives us a chance to pause and reflect on what people mean to us. We encourage people everywhere to take a moment to tell their friends and loved ones how much they mean to them while they are still around to hear it. Don’t wait! Say It Now!
Practicing gratitude is more than saying “thank you.” It’s about showing appreciation for the good things brought into our life. Each time we practice gratitude, we create a sense of happiness and positivity. In fact, the happiness we create not only shifts our own thinking, it also shifts the thinking of those receiving it.
If everyone practiced daily gratitude, we could change ourselves and the planet for the better. ~LegacyPlus.org
5 Benefits of Gratitude
Research shows that gratitude can enhance our moods, decrease stress and improve our overall health and wellbeing. On average, grateful people tend to have fewer stress-related illnesses. Research also shows people who show and practice gratitude are more physically fit, happier, and have more satisfying personal and professional relationships, too. Showing consistent gratitude improves:
- Mental Health – Gratitude has been known to help people feel happier. In fact, showing gratitude helps reduce anxiety and depression and even manager stress.
- Self-Esteem – Showing gratitude motivates people to care for themselves, both physically and mentally. When someone practices gratitude daily, they become more aware of the positive impact it has.
- Relationships – Practicing gratitude strengthens relationships with others. Each time you show gratitude you share positive emotions that encourage others to return the kindness.
- Positive mindset – People who practice gratitude daily tend to face obstacles in a more optimistic manner, including solving problems and making decisions without over-reacting.
- Builds Resilience – Each time we practice gratitude, we learn to focus on positive emotions, which results in healing or recovering from hardship quicker and easier. By facing any obstacle life throws at us with gratitude and grace, we program our brain to realize moments of uncertainty are only temporary.
National Say It Now Day presents the perfect opportunity to express our gratitude to those who have played important roles in our lives.
HISTORY BEHIND: NATIONAL SAY IT NOW DAY
This new National Day is an opportunity to tell friends and loved ones how important they are by expressing our gratitude for all the ways they’ve impacted our lives. Legacy+ was inspired to create National Say It Now Day in honor of Walter Green, author of This Is the Moment, whose birthday is on December 17.
According to the story, a close friend asked Walter if he would organize a celebration of life for him after he died. Walter gave it some thought, but something about the idea bothered him. If he was going to stand up and share his appreciation for everything his friend had meant to him, why wouldn’t he do it when he was still around to hear it? So, instead, Walter organized a living tribute.
When Green turned 70, his birthday gift to himself was to travel for an entire year to visit everyone who had been important in his life. The trip became the inspiration for his first book, This is the Moment (2010). It also led Walter to launch the ‘Say It Now’ movement, which is a world-wide celebration of gratitude.
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CELEBRATING NATIONAL SAY IT NOW DAY
There are so many ways to show gratitude. Think about making a phone call or writing a note to show appreciation for someone who has helped you. You can show appreciation for your family by inviting them over for dinner to let them know you’re grateful for being in your life. You can also start a gratitude journal and begin with a list of things you are thankful for.
Show us how you practice gratitude and encourage others to do the same on social media using the hashtag #NationalSayItNowDay.
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Expressions of Gratitude
The definition of gratitude is being glad that something has or hasn’t happened; that something or someone exists; experiencing thanks. I started practicing gratitude about more than 15 years ago. I have refocused on it after suffering a burst aneurysm in 2013.
Being thankful on a regular basis improves our relationships, sleep, general well-being, and health. Science has shown that there are many benefits to being grateful, and these are just a few. Despite being a very simple exercise, when performed on a daily basis, it can have profoundly transformative results. The habit of identifying things for which we are grateful each day creates new neuropathways in the brain, the more we practice being grateful (or, for that matter, anything we focus on). For the brain, this process—known as neuroplasticity—is comparable to physical exercise.
Eventually, being grateful becomes a habit, which leads to a more optimistic perspective in general, especially during difficult situations. We can be thankful for every moment as a chance to develop, learn, and discover a new way of being in the world, but we cannot be thankful for horrible things like this pandemic. This is resilience.
Observe the abundance of creativity, ingenuity, and kindness all around you. We are pushing ourselves to discover new ways to thrive rather than just survive. The question, “What do I actually need?” is becoming more and more common. What is most crucial? We’re talking to loved ones about our deepest emotions and recognizing what matters most in life.
For 30 days, I want you to locate at least one item for which you are thankful every day. A new habit takes around 30 days to form. Don’t worry if you skip a day; just keep going. As you write it down, acknowledge and experience the emotions it evokes in your heart. Although you can do this at any time, it helps you sleep if you recall these things before bed. Join me if you want to express your gratitude. Share to Social media using #Jen’sPerspectiveGratitudeChallenge .
This is my challenge
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National Erase Self-Negativity Day
April 10 means today is National Erase Self-Negativity Day on the National Day Calendar. We are spending the day encouraging everyone to take steps toward erasing the influence negative self-talk has on our lives. It’s also a day where we will focus on changing this negative habit into a time of personal empowerment.
Some people think speaking negatively to themselves is a way for them to identify their downfalls or shortcomings and move forward. Even though we may believe negative self-talk is a reasonable and a harmless thing to do, this type of behavior can significantly damage self-esteem over time. We are here to tell you speaking negatively to ourselves is a habit. A bad habit. The good news is we can begin to erase the habit of negative self-talk starting today on National Erase Self-Negativity Day.
Identifying 5Cs of Negative Self-Talk
Each of us has a critical inner voice. This voice can be motivating, or it can do more harm than good. Many of us can easily become trapped in a cycle of negativity, with one critical thought leading to the next. This cycle can stop us from being able to move forward and damage our confidence. These words, if left unchecked, could potentially lead to mental health issues. It is important that we are aware of the five key types of negative self-talk.
- Complaining is voicing dissatisfaction about something. Complaining is a form of negative self-talk and over time is a habit that prevents growth and progress. Complaining becomes less negative when we provide a solution or alternative to the complaint.
- Criticizing is pointing out what you don’t like whether that’s about yourself, someone else or a situation. Criticism is often a negative habit that starts from within that works its way out into our environment. Rather than criticizing, try framing it as positive feedback to help yourself learn and grow.
- Concern can happen when we feel we are losing control, thus creating a spiral of negative thoughts. The best way to show concern is to present ideas that counteract your negative thoughts.
- Commiserating is when we gather with our friends and family to share “life” experiences, including things that are upsetting. Sharing grievances can be therapeutic, but it can also be the perfect time for negative self-talk. By simply adding a few positive remarks to any negative conversation, your mind will create a positive outlook and allow for encouraging responses from others, too.
- Catastrophizing is negative self-talk that paints a picture of the worst case scenarios in our mind and makes problems seem bigger than they really are. Learning to accept situations for what they are will help you focus on finding a more constructive way to deal with the problem at hand.
Self-negativity is a habit that can be changed with work and commitment. In fact, the key to erasing self-negativity is through awareness and small habit changes. As negative thoughts arise, lighten them by reframing your mind with a positive mindset by catching, checking, and erasing it.
POSITIVE COLLABORATION
In 2024, Dr. Elizabeth Scott, PhD., the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), Pilot Pen, and National Day Calendar began working together to create National Erase Self-Negativity Day on April 10. This new National Day encourages everyone to take big, empowering steps toward erasing the influence negative words have on our lives. Each year on April 10, we focus on changing the negative habit of harmful words and focus more on increasing a positive outlook to live a healthy life year-round. Pilot Pen also invites you to join us as we focus on facing and erasing the damaging words and phrases that encapsulate our negative self-talk.
Founders
Dr. Elizabeth Scott, PhD., the NAMI, the nation’s leading mental health organization, and Pilot Pen are partnering to help individuals take meaningful steps toward decreasing stress and improving emotional well-being through the Erase Self-Negativity Day exercises.
An Exercise to Erase Negativity
To erase self-negativity, we need to start by identifying the primary, negative self-talk words that we play over and over again in our minds. After we recognize what those words are, we can take the necessary steps to actively embrace our personal power to face our negative self-talk and erase this damaging habit.
Find a quiet, restful location, get some paper, a FriXion pen, and follow the guided exercise below.
National Erase Self-Negativity Day
The path to positivity lies ahead!
Erase Self-Negativity Official Website
How to OBSERVE #EraseSelfNegativityDay
Join us as we celebrate National Erase Self-Negativity Day across social media using the hashtag #EraseSelfNegativityDay. Share your stories, suggestions, and support to empower and encourage one another to speak to ourselves with compassion. It’s time to begin spreading positivity, starting with yourself.
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Holiday Wishes
No matter how you celebrate make it full of love, laughter and memories…
