The power of gratitude in one’s day-to-day life is quite remarkable. However, many people haven’t been able to tap into such benefits. What makes it even more interesting, is how simple it is to practice gratitude. Being grateful goes a long way in increasing the quality of a person’s life, it is a valuable trait to possess. The word “gratitude” isn’t unfamiliar, yet many still don’t practice it.
Gratitude is acknowledging and appreciating the good things in our lives, no matter how small they may seem. It’s about recognizing and being thankful for the positive aspects of our experiences, relationships, and surroundings.
Having a grateful heart provides long-term benefits. Such as:
increased happiness, improved mental health, and a more positive outlook on life. There are more benefits to know about, and in this article, you will get to discover them.
Key takeaway
Life can become more fulfilling when you start to practice the art of being grateful. This article will give you all the secrets behind gratitude, including how to do it, its benefits, and common misconceptions about it.
Benefits of Gratitude
Starting to practice it offers benefits that can make a positive difference in your life. Let’s look at them:
1. Increased happiness
When we practice gratitude, it helps us focus on the good things in our lives, which can lead to a greater sense of happiness, and fulfillment. When you start to feel thankful for what you have, it makes life feel better.
2. Improved mental health
During a rough time, it can be hard to feel thankful for anything. However, gratitude can be a powerful tool in improving your mental well-being by reducing negative emotions and promoting a more positive mindset. That is not to say you’re oblivious but choosing to express your emotions more healthily.
3. Reduced stress levels
By acknowledging, and appreciating the positives, being thankful can help lower stress levels, and increase your resilience in facing challenges. It is better to draw strength from the good things in your life than to dwell on the uncomfortable.
4. Build your relationships with others
Being around people can bring several issues. However, when you choose to express gratitude towards others, it can strengthen your connections, and create a sense of closeness and understanding in your relationships. The people around you will be happy to see that you appreciate them and respect their presence in your life.
5 . Helps you exert a romanticized energy
As a person, practicing gratitude can help you create a soft, attractive, and powerful energy. One which makes people drawn to you, due to having a clean, and clear aura. Humans are drawn to what is pleasing, and aesthetic, which can make others want to be around you. It might seem far-fetched, but it isn’t. The same goes with charismatic people, who unintentionally make people feel the need to listen to them or follow them. What you release, is what others will feel.
6. Gratitude improves self-esteem
Recognizing, and being thankful for your strengths, and accomplishments through thankfulness, can boost your self-esteem, and confidence level. Because many people don’t know their worth or haven’t given themselves the chance to, they end up developing low-self esteem, however being grateful for your existence, can go a long way in bettering your self-worth.
Discover the secrets to boosting your self-esteem and improving your life by reading this article
7. Gratitude boosts physical health by reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression
Gratitude has been linked to improved physical health. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it can help reduce stress, and symptoms of anxiety. This is because a person who starts to feel anxious, stressed, and depressed hardly focuses on the good stuff, rather than the bad. This is why developing a grateful sense of self, can help lower those risks.
Simple yet powerful ways you can start to practice gratitude in your life
Practicing gratitude regularly doesn’t have to be complicated. With just a few steps, you’re on your way. Here are some simple yet effective tips to incorporate gratitude into your daily routine:
1. Keep a gratitude journal: Take a few minutes daily to write down things you are grateful for. It could be as simple as a beautiful sunrise, a pen you bought, how interesting it felt to make breakfast or a kind gesture from a friend.
2. Express gratitude to others: Let the people in your life know that you appreciate them. Take some time to give them a heartfelt thank you letter, text voice message, or video. And don’t worry about being cheesy, (even if it seems that way), these things can go a long way in strengthening relationships. Besides, even if it does feel and look cheesy or cringe, the person will find it sweet and will appreciate it, so don’t worry!
3. Practice mindfulness: Be present in the moment, and pay attention to the good things around you. Mindful breathing exercises can help you focus on gratitude.
4. Start and end your day with gratitude: Begin your day by thinking of something you’re grateful for, and end your day reflecting on positive moments. Though unpleasant things happen during the day, take a small moment to appreciate that you were able to wake up and go through the day, it makes it even better.
5. Create a gratitude jar: Write down moments of gratitude on small pieces of paper and collect them in a jar. It’s a visual reminder of all the good things in your life. It is not a “something for the kids”, anyone can do it, despite their age. So, therefore, don’t feel weird about it, because it is something that can improve your life.
6. Use visual cues: Place reminders of gratitude around your home or workspace, like sticky notes with uplifting quotes or photos that make you smile.
By introducing these simple practices into your daily life, you can cultivate a mindset of gratitude that can bring more joy, and positivity into your life.
However, remember that you can choose how you want to be thankful, the ways you choose to show gratitude may not be amongst the list above and that’s okay. What matters is your mindset, and how you relay thankfulness throughout your life.
All the things gratitude isn’t
Did you know that some people frown at this gratitude thing? They believe it was something created to put people in some la-la land. However, that isn’t true. This is why we’re going to debunk some common myths regarding gratitude:
Gratitude isn’t delusion or being delusional
When a person chooses to be grateful or happy despite being in a bad place, it doesn’t mean they’re delusional or overly optimistic. Think about it for a second, what good does it do to dwell on problems, pain, sadness, lack, and so on? Choosing to be grateful even though there is nothing to be happy about doesn’t make a person shallow. But simply a person who knows that life isn’t always nice, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t choose to see some good in it, or applaud some things in your life, no matter how little it is.
You are aware of the unfairness of life, but you still choose to see the gift of life and be grateful for it. Or anything else at all. Therefore, people who practice thankfulness are not ignorant, delusional, or whatever it is they’re called. They are just people who have chosen to believe that there is still something good in their life, regardless of bad it may seem.
They aren’t indifferent
Indifference is not the same as gratitude. A person who has decided to practice the art of gratefulness doesn’t believe that they are automatically immune to pain or suffering. Those who regularly practice gratefulness are more aware of these inconveniences and feel them than most people do. However, they have chosen not to sleep on it, but use it as a form of exercise to appreciate any little good they have. It is a simple yet very powerful way to grow in life.
Those who feel pain know what it takes to achieve happiness, and those who achieve happiness know what it’s like to feel pain.
Those who practice gratitude are not weak
Sometimes people who regularly practice gratitude are bashed and called weak, saying instead of acknowledging or facing the bad situation head-on, they choose the easy way out by being “grateful”. However, that is not the case. People who choose to find something to be thankful for, are not doing it because it’s easy to do, but because it is a much better way. When you focus on the good, you start to figure out what to do to turn things around. As mentioned earlier, it is better to focus on the good, than focus on the bad.
Look at this example: If you lost something, because you were trying to attain something, and you regularly practice gratitude, you will find something to be thankful for, and that something just might be the key to getting back on your feet.
So, sometimes the good you decide to focus on just might be the key to overcoming the bad.
It doesn’t mean you don’t seek solutions
The fact that people cultivate the habit of being thankful as much as possible, doesn’t mean they don’t seek solutions to their problems. Being grateful doesn’t mean you are comfortable with hardship or failure, but a person who wants to move forward regardless. That’s what it is, it is about viewing life in a better, more sustainable way.
They never for once think about problems
Do you think people who practice gratitude never think about their problems, cry, or have moments where they feel down? Of course not. That’s not what it is about. Gratitude isn’t about feeling happy all the time, it’s just a simple way of moving through life. It doesn’t automatically mean life will be easy to get through, but more about you not dwelling on the unpleasant and finding ways to scale through.
Gratitude is about being “happy”
Maybe people have misunderstood what it means to be thankful. However, it isn’t about being happy, but being appreciative of what you have, regardless of how small. It’s about knowing that you aren’t in that place yet, but you are grateful for being on the path to getting there. Yes, grateful people can feel happy when they think about what they’re grateful for, they smile at it, but it’s not some “high” to stay happy all the time. People who practice gratitude can be pleasant to be around, they can be cheerful, and so on, but they are not in some false sense of happiness.
Does gratitude make life feel easier?
The art of gratitude doesn’t directly make life easier, but it does make you healthily go through hard times than most people would. It can help you stay afloat in difficult situations, without falling into some deep end or losing yourself.
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A message from Medspurs
Gratitude is one of the many beauties in life, it’s an advisable trait and can be helpful in difficult times. It can help you get through difficult times in a much better way.
