Gratitude is simply defined as the state of being grateful and thankful. It is the feeling and the expression of appreciation for something, from a gift to life itself. Gratitude involves recognition of the positive things in your life and how they affect you.
Feeling grateful just happens sometimes, but you can also make a special effort to increase how often you feel it.
Research in the field of psychology (Emmons, 2019) shows how gratitude journaling can increase your happiness and that a person can improve their overall health and wellbeing. Gratitude is actually a relationship-strengthening emotion. By expressing gratitude you can reduce stress, increase optimism, and change your brain.
Some of the claimed benefits are:
increased happiness and positivity
more resilient
less likely to experience burnout
better physical health
better sleep & less fatigue
be more outgoing
higher levels of positive emotions
It is important to include gratitude in your life, the practice will lead you to celebrate and live more the present. You will start observing the drop of toxic and negative emotions in high volumes. And you will definitely have a sense of higher self-worth.
5 ways practice gratitude daily
Observe your surroundings
Start by observing your already gratitude habits. How often do you say thank you? When are you kind? To whom are you smiling? Which are the people you feel joy around? These answers can be your guide to create your gratitude rituals.
Schedule your gratitude practice
Set a specific time to practice gratitude. It is suggested to spend some minutes every morning and every evening, but find the pace and frequency of your choice and then follow this. By having discipline on practicing gratitude, you will unconsciously be more grateful and mindful of your life.
Journal
Journal about things, people or situations that you are grateful for. The learnings, the experiences, the places you have so far. Establish your daily gratitude journaling. You can start by contemplating the past and what brought you here. Meanwhile, you can start introducing it in your daily life.
Gratitude Letter
Write a gratitude letter to all the people, things, situations you are thankful for. Write in detail what are your learnings, what did they give you, why are you grateful for.
Start meditation
Meditation can bring your attention to the present moment. You will become more mindful, you will start observing little things around you. You will feel calmer and more fulfilled with your life. It is important also, to start being mindful of your five senses, try to contemplate whatever you touch, see, smell, hear, taste.
Practicing gratitude can be a beneficial daily habit both for physical and mental health. It also offers potential benefits for relationships. Starting practicing gratitude today will have immense benefits to your mindset as well.
You can follow the above easy and simple ways to introduce it to your life. Remember that being grateful is not only about big and loud achievements, but for every little detail that might bring you a piece of joy.