Gratitude is an underrated part of life. It is about showing appreciation for the things you are thankful for and those that are meaningful and valuable to you. We are usually taught to be grateful as children, but it is easy to lose sight of it. Think about when last you were thankful for the wind, the air, your loved ones, your community, and the opportunities you have. You do gratitude consciously; you have to be intentional to be grateful. However, life can sometimes get so tough that we forget what makes us smile and focus on the difficult ones. Thankfully, gratitude is a habit you can cultivate regardless of how long ago you last practiced it.
Benefits of Gratitude
Gratitude has many benefits on different levels. It is beneficial to your body, mind, and social life. It improves your well-being because it helps you focus on the good instead of the bad. Here are some ways gratitude benefits you.
Gratitude Improves Your Mental Health
Gratitude can help boost your mood. It reduces the time you spend on negative emotions and sensations. You can then experience more positive feelings, which can increase the production of serotonin and dopamine. Ultimately, this will help to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress, which will boost your mood. Gratitude also helps to improve your self-esteem and worth because you will appreciate what others do for you. This can lead to a healthier self-perception as you realize your importance.
Healthier self-esteem and decreased anxiety, stress, depression, and fear will also lead to improved sleep. Meanwhile, you can make sound decisions and gain emotional resilience when you sleep better. This will further reduce emotional strain and improve your mental health. The more you do this, the more your brain adjusts to being grateful so that you are in a continuous cycle of joy and pleasantness.
Gratitude Benefits Your Physical Health
Gratitude also has many benefits for physical health. In addition to improving sleep, gratitude strengthens the immune system and helps reduce blood pressure. A 2020 study also found that people who practice gratitude are less likely to experience aches and pains. Additionally, gratitude has been found to reduce stress, inflammation, and high blood pressure. Researchers have also found a link between practicing gratitude and engaging in healthy behaviors such as exercise and regular doctor checkups.
Gratitude Improves Your Social Life
Gratitude can improve the quality of your romantic and non-romantic relationships. It helps you to appreciate people’s efforts, prompting you to invest in your relationships, too. It also allows you to commit and invest more in your community, family, and workplace. When you are grateful, you become a better person, capable of compassion and kindness. You can spark a chain of good behavior and kindness when you do the same for others.
How to Practice Gratitude
Keep a Gratitude Journal
You can start your gratitude journey by keeping a journal of the things you’re grateful for. Keeping a gratitude journal helps you to remember the things that matter and keeps you thankful. You can do this daily or weekly and be consistent with it. However, don’t make it too often so that it becomes a chore. Don’t just focus on the big things like a promotion or accomplishment. Write everything you are grateful for, including smiles from strangers, hugs, words of affirmation, or compliments.
Practice Mindfulness
You may need some practice identifying or remembering what should be in your journal. Mindfulness can help you achieve that. Instead of going through life without noticing anything, spend time in the present. Savor the present and be mindful of your and others’ actions. This way, you can appreciate the beautiful things and let them sink into your consciousness.
Be Grateful
A great way to practice gratitude is to be grateful. You can tell someone how they made your day, thank them when they help you or write thank-you notes to appreciate them. This way, you can brighten their day and keep the cycle of kindness and gratitude.
Volunteer
Volunteering keeps you open-minded and exposes you to experiences beyond your upbringing and immediate environment. It helps you appreciate what you have and keeps you open to giving back to society. Volunteering makes you feel fulfilled and builds a community beyond your immediate family and friends.
Set a Gratitude Alarm
You may forget to express gratitude, write in your journal, or notice your environment. This can happen frequently when you are just starting your gratitude journey, tired, or overwhelmed. Setting a gratitude alarm will help you keep track of your resolution to practice gratitude.
Gratitude can turn your life around if you keep at it. It can improve your life physically, socially, and mentally. It may be difficult to be consistent initially, especially when the changes are not immediate. However, you can successfully practice gratitude by following the strategies listed here.
#Clique, did you find this article helpful? Tell us more ways you can practice gratitude in the comments.
