How to Express Gratitude: 20+ Creative Ways to Say Thank You

Gratitude should always be expressed, whether big or small.

After they’d been married 40 years, I gifted my parents a trip to the beautiful European city of Bruges. It was both a thank-you and recognition for a lifetime of love and kindness I’d received from them both.

Sadly, it was to be my father’s last vacation. When he passed, I was grateful for having had the opportunity to show him how much he had meant to me and recognize the sacrifices he made.

Gratitude is something easily overlooked. Yet, it is vital to a flourishing life and even predicts happiness (Snyder & Lopez, 2011).

If you want to know how to express gratitude, you’ll find that this article highlights its importance and shares many creative ways to say thank you.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our five positive psychology tools for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients connect to more positive emotions and enjoy the benefits of gratitude.

Why Expressing Gratitude Is Great for Us (& Others)

We often ignore the importance and value of gratitude for ourselves and others. However, research in positive psychology shows that being thankful is a powerful force for good (Griffith, 2016).

Gratitude is vital to redirecting our focus and energies away from what is wrong or disappointing in our lives to appreciating what is good. It helps us move away from our built-in bias toward negativity to one of flourishing, hope, and optimism (Seligman, 2006).

As a result, it enhances our wellness, relationships, self-esteem, and coping abilities and makes pleasant memories more accessible (Snyder & Lopez, 2011).

Before exploring how to express gratitude in more detail, it’s helpful to reflect on the following two psychological definitions of gratitude:

“An individual experiences the emotion of gratitude […] when they affirm that something good has happened to them and they recognize that someone else is largely responsible for this benefit” (Snyder & Lopez, 2011, p. 438).

Also, gratitude “reflects our deep appreciation for what we value, what brings meaning to our lives, and what makes us feel connected to ourselves and others” (Brown, 2021, p. 212).

Gratitude is not experienced in isolation from our environment and those closest to us. Instead, expressing it shows deep connections, that we don’t take things for granted, and our wish to help others recognize their value (Brown, 2021).

Gratitude in Action: Real-Life Examples of Gratitude

While gratitude is an emotion, it can also be a practice that can be embedded in how we live. We can learn to enrich our own and others’ lives by regularly sharing what we are thankful for (Brown, 2021).

Here are three real-life, practical examples of how to express gratitude:

365 days of gratitude

In his book, A Simple Act of Gratitude, John Kralik (2017) charts his year of appreciation and how it turned his life around.

His goal was to write and share a heartfelt thank-you note every day for 365 days.

What he found was that he often had the most gratitude for what was already in front of him, unnoticed: his health, family, friends, relationships, and work colleagues.

When he gave out handwritten thank-you cards expressing his gratitude, he was sharing how much he valued that person and their relationship and unleashing a host of positive emotions (Homayun, 2021).

Gratitude in the workplace

Workplaces can be challenging environments involving complex tasks and sometimes difficult coworkers.

When communication coach Maryna Shkvorets found herself working in a harsh jail environment for young people, she recognized that it was taking an emotional toll.

In response, the team decided to sit in a circle and offer verbal gratitude to one another in their monthly team meetings — for the work itself and colleagues providing support.

As a result, the team became less drained, more energized, and increasingly resilient (Borysenko, 2019).

School gratitude

Gratitude in education has many benefits. In Gratitude: A Way of Teaching, Owen Griffith (2016) shares how one eighth-grade teacher had the idea of a gratitude wall.

Students willingly taped pieces of paper with messages of thanks on the wall to share their appreciation of each other. The teacher found that the children opened up in ways they wouldn’t otherwise, giving them an opportunity to connect more deeply.

2 Ways to Show & Measure Gratitude in a Meaningful Way

Gratitude is a vital practice for meaningfully enriching our lives and can include the following (Brown, 2021):

Gratitude gifts

Gift giving should not feel like repaying a debt; instead, it can be a meaningful way to cultivate social support that benefits individuals and society (Watkins et al., 2006).

A gratitude gift might be of material value, but it does not need to be expensive.

Here are several examples of inexpensive actions and gift giving we can engage in:

• Frame a picture
  Find a meaningful photograph that evokes positive memories for you and, more importantly, the person who is the focus of your gratitude.
• Bring over lunch
  Prepare a meal for someone to say thank you. Perhaps they are busy or feeling stressed, overworked, or recovering from illness and would appreciate the support.
• Gift a journal
  The recipient can fill it with their feelings of gratitude or capture how they appreciate or show kindness to others.
• Create a playlist of someone’s favorite songs or music
  Put together a collection of music that evokes your best shared memories.
• Gift a book
  Buy a copy of a book from someone’s favorite author or genre and write a note of appreciation on one of the pages. (See this list of best gratitude books for ideas!)
• Buy a board game or jigsaw puzzle
  Find a game or puzzle you think the individual will enjoy playing or completing together. Knowing you want to spend time with them is a great way to make someone feel appreciated.

Gratitude questionnaires

While their inclusion might seem unlikely, gratitude assessments offer a more objective, meaningful, and scientific way of showing and measuring gratitude.

How to Thank Someone Sincerely (and When It Matters Most)

When someone has helped us through difficult times or supported us in a way that goes beyond the expected, we should offer a heartfelt thank-you.

The following practices can help:

Gratitude accountability partner

Sharing gratitude practices with a partner, friend, or colleague can enhance accountability and impact. Doing so increases our chances of adherence while deepening our satisfaction and connection with that person (Algoe et al., 2013).

Over time, it can also help us notice things we might otherwise overlook. We may find ourselves sharing spontaneous thank-yous, checking in more positively, and even cocreating rituals of appreciation together.

Gratitude becomes a shared practice, creating more of an impact.

Gratitude experiences

Some thank-yous deserve grand gestures.

Gifting experiences such as events, shows, and even workshops can strengthen relationships by creating shared memories and deepening emotional bonds (Van Boven & Gilovich, 2003).

Gratitude notes

A gratitude note can take many forms.

Here are two variations:

• Write a letter of gratitude
  Receiving a letter of gratitude can have a powerful impact. One of the fathers of positive psychology, Martin Seligman (2011), recognized the power of thankfulness for boosting our own and others’ potential to flourish.

In Letters of Gratitude: How to Write a Message of Appreciation, we learn the steps involved and several approaches, including cards, letters, and notes.

• Leave handwritten notes in unusual places
  Why not place a personalized note inside a friend’s book, lunchbox, or pocket? Handwritten notes suggests an investment of time and energy and uniquely boosts positive emotions (Algoe et al., 2016).

Tips for expressing gratitude

Expressing gratitude improves with practice. The following are three helpful pointers (Kralik, 2017; Griffith, 2016):

• Where possible, express gratitude in person
  Taking time to let someone know you are grateful helps foster a climate of appreciation and is another simple way to get into the habit of expressing everyday gratitude.
• Be respectful
  Treat others with the level of courtesy you would like to receive. We can express gratitude directly or through how we behave.
• Smile, be patient, listen, and express kindness whenever possible
  Expressions of gratitude can be seen in what we do. It could be as simple as bringing a coffee for a colleague or helping them prepare for a presentation.

In 16+ Best Gratitude TED Talks & Videos, we explore videos highlighting the power of gratitude to change lives and relationships.

Creative & Unexpected Ways to Say Thank You

Gratitude expressions are powerful tools for showing appreciation for others and recognizing their value. They don’t need to be predictable or expected (Algoe et al., 2016).

Here are several creative (and unexpected ways) to express gratitude:

1. Digital gratitude journal sharing
   A digital journal using an app or simply involving a shared document can encourage more than one individual to regularly document and communicate the things they are thankful for. We explore many approaches, ideas, and apps for gratitude journaling in Gratitude Journal: 35 Ideas for Getting Started.
2. Gratitude jar
   Capture specific acts of kindness or moments of appreciation on paper and drop them into a gratitude jar. Months later, review them with a friend, colleague, or loved one to provide a powerful emotional experience, boosting happiness and emotional resilience (Rash et al., 2011).
3. Social media shout-outs
   Social media is often viewed negatively, yet publicly acknowledging what someone has done for us can boost their awareness of our gratitude while strengthening our sense of connectedness.
4. Celebrate the small wins
   Celebrate small successes or meaningful moments with intentionality. Recognizing incremental achievements builds gratitude organically while increasing motivation and psychological resilience (Fredrickson, 2010).
5. Set a gratitude challenge
   Create a set (or system) of daily gratitude challenges that help us appreciate the small things and what is good right now.

The following tips help focus our attention on setting an effective personal gratitude challenge. Try to perform two or more of the following every day:

1. 1. Introduce a morning gratitude ritual to start the day grounded in gratitude. It could be as simple as taking a few moments to focus on the positive and asking yourself, “What am I grateful for today?”
   2. Write a gratitude list that is unique to you and where you are in your life right now. It can include family, friends, health, your community, even the weather.
   3. Practice being in the moment and focusing on how good life is now rather than thinking too much about the future.
   4. While much of a gratitude challenge is about positive experiences, thinking about tough situations can also help you to appreciate what’s good.
   5. Spend time writing down the things you are grateful for before bed. Capturing those thoughts is a good way to keep track of the positives in your life, and you can look back on them at any time.

5 Tips for Making Appreciation a Habit

We can integrate gratitude into our daily lives with intention and consistency.

Here are five evidence-based strategies that turn appreciation into a habit:

• Daily gratitude reflection
  Set aside five minutes daily to identify and reflect on three things you are grateful for. This simple practice has the potential to enhance psychological wellbeing and increase flourishing (Seligman, 2011).
• Gratitude reminders
  You can prompt moments of gratitude by placing visual cues (such as sticky notes on the refrigerator door) or setting reminders on your phone or computer (Lally & Gardner, 2013).
• Mindful appreciation
  Practicing mindfulness encourages us to pause and consciously acknowledge positive moments as they happen. Doing so can heighten our awareness of the positive things and deepen our appreciation of the good in our lives (Shapiro, 2020).
• Gratitude journal
  Regularly capturing our gratitude improves psychological wellbeing, increases positive emotions, and enhances our general sense of happiness (Algoe et al., 2013). In our article, The Gratitude Journal: Prompts, PDFs, and Worksheets, we explore how to journal and share helpful tools and worksheets.
• Gratitude meditation
  Meditation provides a powerful practice for increasing feelings of gratitude (Rao & Kemper, 2016). We explore the techniques and benefits in Gratitude Meditation: A Simple but Powerful Meditation.

More Gratitude Resources From PositivePsychology.com

We have many resources available for coaches, therapists, and mental health professionals working with clients to improve their ability to identify and access positive emotions such as gratitude.

Our Emotional Intelligence Masterclass© is a six-module emotional intelligence training program for helping professionals working with clients to build the foundation for emotional maturity and access key emotions such as gratitude.

Our free resources include:

• Gratitude Journal
  Capture 10 things you feel grateful for at the start of each day and then list the people you’re thankful for.
• Gratitude Gifts
  Use this drawing task with children to help them recognize and explore things for which they can be grateful.
• Expressing Gratitude to Others
  Identify several key people you are grateful for and how you could express that gratitude.

More extensive versions of the following tools are available with a subscription to the Positive Psychology Toolkit©, but they are described briefly below:

• Mindful moments

Mindfulness can be a vital tool for helping us connect with positive emotions, particularly gratitude. Try out the following mindful observation to learn to connect with the environment around us:

• • Hold an object gently in your hands and sit comfortably. Take a moment to look closely at the object; look at every side and detail of it.
  • Notice its color, shape, and any patterns on its surface. What color is it? What shape is it? Can you see any cool patterns?
  • Now, use your fingers to feel its texture. Is it smooth, rough, hard, or soft?
  • Take a deep breath in through your nose and notice if your object has any smell. Then, slowly exhale through your mouth as you focus on that smell.
  • Continue to breathe in and out while describing and picturing the object in your mind.
• Gratitude for what is no longer here
  Loss can leave us disconnected from what we were once deeply grateful for. However, we can revisit relationships and people who are no longer with us to restore our gratitude.
  • Step one – Take a few minutes and write down something precious you lost.
  • Step two – Reflect on the fact that it is no longer there. How do you feel? What thoughts come to mind?
  • Step three – Focus on the fact that you were lucky to have experienced it.
  • Step four – Practice shifting from focusing on what is lost to feeling grateful for what you had.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others harness the benefits of gratitude, this collection contains 17 validated gratitude tools for practitioners. Use them to help others shift to a more positive mindset and experience the joys of life more deeply.

A Take-Home Message

Gratitude should be recognized and reciprocated so it can flourish fully. Expressing it is vital for our happiness, resilience, and emotional health (Seligman, 2011).

Gratitude can take many forms — often, the more creative, the better. Even small, everyday actions, such as a verbal thank-you or handwritten note, can have a significant emotional impact. Actions like thoughtful gifts, random acts of kindness, and making time for shared experiences can communicate appreciation without words.

When repeated and embedded in our lives, gratitude strengthens our bonds with friends, family, and colleagues (Snyder & Lopez, 2011). It can also protect us and others from negativity (Seligman, 2006). Thankfulness shifts focus away from problems and complaints, avoiding spirals of negativity while promoting optimism and flourishing.

As mental health professionals, we can use tools like gratitude journals, daily reflections, and gratitude meditations to embed gratitude into every day (Seligman, 2011; Rao & Kemper, 2016).

Ultimately, life is short. As mental health professionals, we can help our clients learn how to express gratitude now. With our encouragement, they can build deep, meaningful connections with themselves, their environment, and those around them.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our five positive psychology tools for free.