Handouts · Self-Care
Healthy Habits & Gratitude
Wellbeing is built from small routines repeated daily. A steady rhythm and a habit of noticing the good gently tilt your baseline toward better.
Anchor Your Day
A few fixed points give the day structure and your brain a sense of safety. You don't need a rigid schedule — just reliable anchors:
- A consistent wake and sleep time
- Regular meals
- Some daily movement and daylight
Habit Stacking
The easiest new habit attaches to one you already have:
"After I ___, I will ___."
"After I pour my coffee, I'll write one thing I'm grateful for." The old habit becomes the reminder.
Make Habits Stick
- Start tiny — two minutes counts.
- Same time, same trigger, every day.
- Make it obvious: lay out the shoes, leave the journal open.
- Missed a day? Never miss twice. Just restart.
Why Gratitude Works
The brain has a built-in negativity bias — it scans for threats and skips the good. Gratitude deliberately trains attention toward what's going right, which research links to better mood and sleep.
It's not toxic positivity — hard things stay hard. It just widens the lens.
A Simple Practice
- Each night, write 3 good things from the day.
- Be specific: "the sun on my walk," not "nature."
- Add why it mattered or your part in it.
- Small counts — a good coffee, a kind text.
My Starter Plan
One habit I'll stack: "After I ___, I'll ___"
3 good things today:
Consistency beats perfection. One tiny habit done daily reshapes more than a big plan you abandon by Friday. Pick one anchor and one gratitude moment — that's plenty to start.