“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
– Melody Beattie
Practicing gratitude has endless benefits. People who practice gratitude regularly by taking the time to notice and reflect on the things they’re thankful for tend to experience more positive emotions and feelings, they sleep better, feel and express more compassion, and can have stronger immune systems. Gratitude is something that doesn’t need to be reserved only for special occasions. One indeed expresses gratitude after a major life event like receiving a promotion at work, but one can also be thankful for something as simple as a delicious slice of pizza. That’s what makes practicing gratitude a daily task for life improvement.
One of the most popular ways of practicing gratitude is keeping a gratitude journal. This works wonders as it slowly changes the way we perceive situations. One is always thankful for their family and friends, however repeatedly writing just that in your journal will not serve the purpose. It doesn’t help your brain stay alert for fresh grateful moments that could matter to you. The idea is to get specific by writing about more detailed moments to help you notice more than what is just easily visible and dig deeper.
It’s good to get yourself excited about the benefits of gratitude. It gives one the much needed motivation to start making changes and noticing the good things around us while maintaining a positive mindset. Our relationships with friends, family, co-workers and others are great determinants of our happiness. It’s sensible to think of other people and their effect on us when we focus on our gratitude.
Other ways to practice gratitude include, telling your loved one how much you appreciate them and their presence in your life and spend quality time with them. This helps you to create a deeper bond with your near and dear ones. Do small things like noticing the beauty nature has to offer. Taking in the beauty of nature like blooming flowers, the sweet melody of chirping birds can lift your spirits and help you be grateful for a beautiful environment. Avoid negativity on social media, and avoid negative TV shows and movies. Watch happy things that will cheer you up and watch inspiring videos that can help you be grateful for the good in the world. Take every challenge with a positive attitude that will help you grow and learn. Meditate with your gratitude list as you spread its positivity in the universe. If you are ambitious enough, you can find a way to practice gratitude in every small situation.
Practicing gratitude is one of the most efficient ways to improve your life. There are a number of benefits of practicing gratitude; such as better sleep, reduced stress, improved health, more energy, increased self-confidence etc. One may struggle to sleep at night due to feeling discontent and ungrateful. Thinking about the things that you are grateful for can improve your quality of sleep by helping you sleep longer and feel better rested after you wake up. Stress is one of the most common problems seen in adults today. People lay awake at night dwelling on stressful thoughts related to their relationships, their career etc. Stress and being ungrateful go hand in hand, therefore, it’s better to be grateful for all the things you can control and fix instead of concerns that are uncontrollable.
Do your body a favor by practicing gratitude. It doesn’t just alter your mind but even affects your body physically. Researchers have found a link between practicing gratitude and having fewer physiological aches, pains and improved immunity. Grateful people tend to have a healthy heart. An awareness of all the things that you are grateful for may actually help you to achieve your dreams and goals since keeping a gratitude journal helps with higher levels of motivation, determination, energy and alertness.
Being thankful can help you notice every small bit of progress that you make with every small detail of it, which keeps you motivated to carry on. A number of studies have found a link between gratitude and a higher level of self-esteem. It said that being grateful reduces social comparisons, making you more likely to be happy with yourself instead of focusing on and comparing yourself to others. The feeling of jealousy towards others’ success is eliminated, and helps you focus on your own achievements and successes so that you can be satisfied and content.
One of the simplest ways to reap the benefits of gratitude is to observe new things you’re grateful for in everyday life. Make changes in your every habits and create a more positive life for yourself by practicing gratitude.
