After reading Serafina Kubersky ‘26 and Anjali Tremblay ‘26’s recent article, “The Dark Reality of the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” a thought occurred to me: as teenagers, how are we practicing gratitude and appreciation in our everyday lives? In a world of constant consumerism, and rapid moving technology, how do we stop and appreciate what is in front of us?
As a teen, I definitely notice myself complaining – complaining about school, about work and even about expectations – but I try to stop myself and ask why? Now, of course many times there are reasons behind it, motives like stress or worry, but sometimes, I find I, as a teen, am just complaining.
About two years ago, I began to journal daily. I started it off as a New Year’s resolution, a goal to write one page about my day each day for the full year. That singular day became many months, and by now, has become multiple years.
Although, I will admit it, writing one page about my day is not always easy, the work, which generally only takes ten minutes at most, always pays off. The act of reflecting on my day, looking over what had been good, bad or in between has caused me to stop, and begin to appreciate the little moments in my life. Somedays those little moments are big, like, I attended a party that day, or, it was my birthday or another holiday while others are smaller, like, I woke up to my first alarm this morning, or made a delicious breakfast.
Moments like these often are overlooked, especially as our world is rapidly changing in many ways, big or small. It is hard to stop and smell the roses when everything around us may feel like it’s falling apart. And it’s true – not all people may be able to find a highlight of their day. But, for some of us, practicing the simple act of writing out what you are grateful for is incredibly beneficial.
According to The Youth Gratitude Project, “Research convincingly shows that, when compared with their less grateful peers, grateful youth are happier and more satisfied with their lives, friends, family, neighborhood, and selves.”
The project’s work reflects upon my own personal experiences, as since I have been journaling, I have noticed myself to not only be more in touch with my surroundings, but more aware of my emotions.
As the 2026 begins, I have been looking back upon my year, reflecting upon each moment, both individualized to my life, and more widespread, and checking in with myself- how did these experiences make me feel, which of these experiences were hard to grapple with, and which am I grateful for.
In a season of resolutions, expectations and standards, how can we, as teens, work to show appreciation to moments and people in our lives? How can we, whether journaling, or simply reflecting, work to focus on the moment at hand, while still acknowledging the suffering that has and will occur around us?
Honor Zahairagunn • Feb 19, 2026 at 2:39 pm
I actually do. I really agree with the part that says the ones who show gratitude were happier than their friends who don’t, because when you act grumpy and ungrateful, others do towards you, which may cause you to lose friends. I thank people for the things they do for me and try to repay them somehow. I think it would help better define who you are as a person and develop better relationships with the people in your day to day life. I am grateful for my family and friends and the opportunities I have in life that my elders didn’t have.
Mila • Feb 18, 2026 at 7:03 pm
This article is very inspiring and made me want to be more grateful and reflect on my daily life. I agree that picking out moments like these might be able to make people feel more positive about their lives. I have heard of people starting “gratitude jars”, where they put in one good thing or one thing they are grateful for each day on a piece of paper. I also found it really impressive that you were able to consistently journal every day for years. I think journaling is good in this perspective, and also because when you look back on it in the future you will see what you were feeling the most grateful for then. Maybe over time, the things that you are grateful for will change, and that will reflect you in certain ways. Overall, I really enjoyed this article and it gave me a moment to step back and reflect.
Maddox Rems • Feb 18, 2026 at 12:24 pm
I do agree with the perspective in this article. Being grateful for the privileges and opportunities one has can boost mental morale through a positive outlook. I express gratitude through manners and awareness of my privileges. I think if one were to follow the practices described in this article they could rewire their brain into having a more constructive interpretation of life. The repetition of thoughts can actually completely change one’s mindset through neuroplasticity. Rather than one thinking of what is missing, they should focus on what is present. I am grateful for having a loving supporting family as well as opportunities to improve myself every day.
Olivia G. • Feb 4, 2026 at 12:17 am
This article was short and very sweet. I liked how you posed thought-provoking questions at the end, and overall, I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on gratitude. I think I don’t express gratitude much or all that often, and hearing your story made me realise where I’m coming at fault with my own life. But when I do, expressing gratitude for me is ambiguous and shows up in many ways, like buying my mom a sweet treat out of nowhere because I wanted to show my appreciation, or smiling at/talking more to people after they did something nice for me. Sometimes I do a good deed back for them to show my gratitude, too. But I believe that taking the time to reflect on emotions and seeing the good in the little things can be truly beneficial for our moods, and I hope that we can start implementing that routine into our lives soon. So often, the gloomy parts of the world overshadow the nice, and so our ‘complaining’ or agitated moods overshadow the things that are sitting right with us that we should be grateful for. It may be difficult to start a routine of gratitude, but currently, I’m grateful that you wrote this article. It offers an interesting concept for people to mull over and think about introducing into their lives for 2026.
RC • Feb 3, 2026 at 9:16 pm
I have attempted to start a journal many times over the past few years. I certainly have not been successful. I have still found other ways to reflect on my experiences, however, with my favorite being discussions with family or friends. I have so many things to be grateful for, and those things far outweigh the things I complain about. For me, everything feels like it is moving faster than ever, and I have been forced to push some things aside to keep up. Just noticing and enjoying good happy moments can really help slow everything down. I think that the cliché phrase of “living in the moment” very much still applies to my life, and this article has really helped me reflect on that.
Solomon • Feb 2, 2026 at 7:35 pm
There is something really meaningful and purposeful that the practice of gratitude brings. Gratitude can really connect, ground, and center people in powerful ways. Gratitude feels really intrinsic to our identity as a Quaker school and the values we hold as a school community. I also find it really interesting to learn about the different ways people think about and go about practicing gratitude. There are so many different ways people can practice gratitude and moments when we intentionally embrace the practice of gratitude are critical. There is a lot to be said of simply stopping to take stock and lean into really being intentional in how we are thinking about gratitude.
Dillan • Feb 1, 2026 at 9:03 pm
I certainly agree with the author that it is important for teenagers to reflect on their lives and express their gratitude. I also agree that journaling is a great way to practice this! In third grade, I began writing in a journal each night about my day. At this time, my goal was to curb my insomnia; I felt as though my day was bouncing around inside my head as I tried to sleep at night, and writing what I did each day certainly helped. Years later, I continue this nightly practice (though I often skip days or even weeks of journaling because I get so busy). Reflecting on my day in a journal has given me a space to share my thoughts on my day-to-day life, especially the moments that made me feel especially grateful for the people in my life and the opportunities I have been given. Additionally, nightly journaling has given me a solid record of how I spent much of my childhood, which I know I will cherish when I am older (though the elementary-school-age handwriting is certainly not easy to decipher). In the new year, I hope to be as consistent as possible with journaling.
Una • Feb 1, 2026 at 12:48 pm
Too often I find myself laser focused in my own world, worrying about things like the state of my hair, or my grades, my outfit, or if my skin is cooperating. It is in these moments where I have to force myself to zoom out. In the age of constant haul culture, seeing posts of vacations, new clothes, perfect faces and bodies, its WAY easier to feel jealous or like the perfectly lovely and privileged life I am already living is not enough. I am trying to be better at reminding myself to think about my life as a whole, rather than get caught up in feeling jealous of little things.