103+ things to be thankful for to help you through COVID19 (and MacGyver)

How Thankfulness can empower us at Alert level 4

In the middle of a crisis such as this, we can find our complete attention on the coronavirus, COVID19 and spend much time considering the news reports and uncertain possibilities of what could happen next. This is a tough and less than ideal situation and the future outlook can appear bleak. But COVID19 is not everything going on in the World. When we look around us and see what we do have to be thankful for and the good that is happening, we can help our perspective tip back towards optimism and positivity.

‘But what is there to be thankful for at such a time as this!!??’ There are actually many things to be thankful for. They can just be hidden from our attention. This is is due to our attention being consumed by other things.

Think, right now, you are 1. reading this, 2. your heart is beating, 3. you are breathing, 4. you are inside or outside (both of which are great) 5. you are standing or sitting (which means that you have a chair! (6.). That is 6 things to be thankful for right now! When we stop and think of all these great things, it helps to lift our spirits, gives us hope, triggers positivity, creative thought processes, enables problem-solving and is empowering. Most importantly it directs our minds away from worry and fear. It is great for our mental health to be thankful at this time. It’s not always easy to be thankful and can be really tough. This is where we can look to MacGyver for an example of what to do in tough times.

Do you remember MacGyver? The problem solving, science whiz hero from the TV show in the ’80s? (it was on channel 2 at 7:30pm) This 80’s mullet sporting icon would find himself trapped by the bad guys, Druglords or Communist Bloc gangsters, in a dire situation (often a broom cupboard). Every time the situation looked bad, real bad, no way out. The end of MacGyver. So MacGyver would have to look around at all of the seemingly normal things in the room that he could use, combine these with science and surprisingly make his escape! Whew. He was always positive (but with an intense thought frown) because he could see the good things around him in a tough situation and he used these for inspiration. So let’s act like our newly remembered hero, MacGyver, and in this tough time, not just be consumed with the problem but look at all there is around us to be thankful for and use these to help us get out of this broom cupboard! Here are 103+ things to be thankful for. It’s great to start your day by thinking, speaking or writing down 3 things you are thankful for. Also, If you feel worried and fear rising up during your day, you can combat this by looking around at what you have to be thankful for. (If you add ‘WHY’ you are Thankful this increases the power of being thankful.)

103+ Things to be Thankful for:

Click here for downloadable printable posters/ desktop background:

Thankful for these Support people:

Doctors, trained and ready to administer care Nurses, trained and committed to care for people Police, looking after the community Army, ready to help level 4 to be a success Supermarket staff, to meet food needs Petrol Station staff, to keep us fuelled up Transport and logistics services, transporting goods around the country Farmers and Manufacturers, providing food and toilet paper

Thankful for Services:

Electricity, keeping appliances running and keeping us warm

Internet access, connecting us to the world and each other

Clean running water, on tap to drink and bathe in

Wastewater, taking the poos away, we don’t have long drops!

Rubbish collection, taking the rubbish away

Post services, we can still send things

Online schooling resources - set up by teachers to keep learning

The Government, thankful for:

A Government - who are doing all that they can to keep the public safe

A monetary support package - for those who can’t work

COVID 19, things to be thankful for:

That a lot more people in NZ don’t have it

That people can recover from it

There is a light at the end of the Tunnel - That cities in China are coming out of the other side of it

People are working on a vaccine

Thankful for things to do:

Talents - Develop your talents - writing, drawing, dancing, studying etc etc Discovery/Experiencing new things, Find something new that you might love to do Family Time - Spend time with your family Cleaning - Do a thorough spring clean of your house Reading - you can learn so much and travel to many places Audiobooks - Listening to an audiobook Podcasts - Listening to a Podcast Writing - for yourself and others is a challenging and rewarding experience Art - Having a go at Art just for fun - Drawing, painting Music - Listening to music Playing music - thankful for instruments to play TV - Watching TV - the largest amount of entertainment available in history Catching up with friends over the phone Thinking time - great to think through a wide range of thoughts and possibilities Cuddles - more time to Cuddle someone, an animal, a soft toy Playing games - board games, Backyard cricket and other games A Break - Having a break from work - you always go back fresh and with more ideas Exercise - running, walking cycling An Opportunity - Starting a habit - you have 28 days! Listen to Atomic Habits

Thankful for People around us: Fathers Mothers Brothers Sisters Relations Friends Children Grandchildren Coaches Co-workers volunteers

Thankful for where you live:

A bed - having a bed to sleep in Bedroom - Having a bedroom to give you privacy from the rest of the house Curtains - Having curtains so that people can’t see in and to keep the room warm Carpet - Having carpet for warmth and nice to stand on Roof - Having a roof over our heads to keep the elements out Backyard - Having a backyard to spend time outside in Flush Toilet - so convenient Lights - so that we can see at night Hot water - better to shower in that cold water Bath - lovely to soak in Shower - running clean water on tap! Fire - warm and romantic Heater - instant heat Dishwasher - a robot doing your dishes! Washing machine - a robot washing your clothes, this used to be done by hand! A warm blanket - delicious! Table and chair - comfortable and easy to work/ eat at Couch - sit down, lie down, sleep on kind of comfort Light switch - you don’t need to light a candle Tv remote - you don’t have to move to change shows Windows - things get very cold and drafty without windows

Thankful for your body:

You are Alive! Heart - moving blood around your body! Our brain - an incredible supercomputer capable of incredible things! Stomach - digests our food and draws nutrients and energy Lungs and breathing - (very important) Eyes - to see Ears - to hear Eyebrows - to stop sweat and rain and to style Your nose - to smell, breathe and stop an infection Tongue to taste - what an incredible thing! Teeth - it would be hard eating food without teeth Nose hair - to capture germs Legs - Being able to move, run and walk Knees - enable us to bend to pick things up Toes - essential for balance Fingernails - to stop us continually stubbing our fingers Fingers - for picking things up Thumbs - so that we don’t drop the things we pick up Nerves - so that we don;t pick up fire Skin - holds us all together Thoughts - incredible wondrous things capable of amazing good Bottom - to comfortably sit on Blowoffs - to make everyone equally laugh and be disgusted and to relieve bowel pressure Kidneys - filter your blood! Amazing Muscles - so that you can do anything Sweating - to keep you call Immunity - your body, develops an antibody to sickness! Eyelids - it would be hard to sleep without them! Sneezing - goodbye intruding germ, we will cake you in snot and send you on your way!

Thankful for helpful items of convenience:

Toothbrush and toothpaste - fresh breath and nonblack teeth Toilet paper - folded or scrunched, much preferable to using your hand or grass Smartphones/ Cellphones - to talk to each other, take pictures and look at funny meme’s Clothing - warm, styled and comfortable. Essential for public transport. Zips - much easier than buttons Shoes - preferable to bare feet (most of the time) Shoelaces - enable you to have fitted shoes Shaver's - smooth face and legs Sunblock - an invisible (mostly) layer of protection Nappies - what did there used to be? High chair - or chair prison with desk for little people, very handy for feeding a toddler Aloe vera - incredible soothing benefits Soap - keeps you clean Wet wipes - the most pleasant face wash when out and about. Air freshener - poo smell destroyer Hand sanitizer - incredible, you don’t even need to dry your hands Moisturisers - soft hands after too much alcohol-based, hand sanitiser Pain killers - for headaches and general discomfort Hot water bottles - hot water in a bottle! Electric blankets - switch on for heat at your convenience Togs - for swimming, they don't bog you down as cotton shorts would Umbrellas - for walking in the rain Rain jacket - for walking without an umbrella gumboots - durable and puddle resistant Sunglasses - how did people survive without these? Glasses - so that you can see Hearing aids - so that you can hear De-odourant - so that other people can stay around you

Thankful for human traits:

Decision making - weighing pro’s and con’s for a good outcome Choosing your thoughts - can be hard to do, but you can choose to be thankful and look for the good The power of the mind - you can make a plan and carry it out Kindness - one of the greats The power to forgive - incredibly releasing for the forgiver Massage - very pleasant Rapping, rhyming - entertaining, creative and memorable A kiss - …... Encouraging words - giving courage to others! Failure and mistakes - things to learn from Saying thank you - goes a long way! Helping someone - helps their life! Giving - puts your mind on others and blesses them Practical jokes - funny to one of the two parties Planning - imagination, inspiration, and ideas coming together to create a plan Positive words - life-giving to the giver and hearer Positive Confession - done daily, can create a strong belief system Imagination - one of the greatest things Inventing - responsible for 103 - 130 Learning - the ability to grow through imparted knowledge! Sadness - a part of being human and for grieving Passion - excitement that is contagious Fun - brings smiles Laughter and giggles - ‘the best medicine’ Tears - can bring a huge feeling of relief once cried Being honest - can enable trust and strong connections

Inventions to be thankful for:

Car - getting from a to b Bicycles - getting from a - b for free Airplanes - getting from a - b very fast Boats - sailing on the water! Radio - listening to music, being entertained and hearing the news! Camera - these were not around 150 years ago! Now we can see the past! Mirror - very handy for getting ready in the morning Frosted glass - very handy so that other people don’t see you getting ready in the morning Utensils - preferable to hands for general hygiene Sprinklers - for watering your garden and lawn Spoons - for playing and eating ice cream Card games - great for a group activity Puzzles - to challenge your mind Footpaths - not muddy and better than sharing the road with cars Sealed roads - very smooth and safe to drive on Traffic lights and stop signs - there would be chaos without them (Vietnam scooter drivers disagree) Computer - so much is possible on a computer Brake lights - so that you have a warning that the car ahead is stopping Torch - to see in the dark while walking outside Antibiotics - many people used to die without these

Thankful for Foods: Whole foods Fruits Vegetables Cereal Cheese Sugar Ice Chocolate Random things to be thankful for:

Tomorrow A new day Education History - lessons from history The present moment Science Modern Medicine Star wars or your particular type of entertainment The sound of your voice - a unique sound to you, able to be identified by others Accents Movies Doing handstands Online education Wikipedia Google News Charities Weather forecast Trampoline Swings Not being at war

Nature to be Thankful for:

Nature The Sky Oxygen Rain Sun Wind Clouds The ground Sand Trees Grass Rivers Lakes Mountains Waves Birds Dogs Cats Nighttime Bees Flowers Gravity The moon The angle of the earth The distance from the sun Sunrise Sunset Sea Beach Vege garden Fruit trees The weather Seasons - Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring Colour!

Image of Macgyver, subject to copyright - we love you MacGyver.