Gratitude: What Are Its Benefits and How Do We Practice It?
You have often heard to be grateful for what we have. But have you considered how it impacts our lives?
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well” - Voltaire
Over the weekend, as I rang in the new year, I reflected on the significant events from 2022 and felt thankful for having lived through them. Yet on a typical day, I wouldn’t think twice about any of these moments, mindlessly moving on to task after task without pausing to acknowledge them let alone appreciate them. But is it not the case for everyone? When was the last time you expressed gratitude for something?
Gratitude is quite a simple tool that we often take for granted. The aim of this article is to explore the benefits of expressing gratitude in our lives and also look at ways in which we can start practising gratitude more effectively.
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What Is Gratitude?
Gratitude is more than just being polite. It requires acknowledging all the good, no matter how big or small, and being grateful to whatever or whoever is responsible for making it happen. Although it is considered an unsolicited feeling, growing bodies of literature show that it can also be practised consciously.
Gratitude has been shown to have positive long-term effects on our well-being as well as our relationships. The next section explores the various benefits of gratitude.
What Are the Benefits of Gratitude?
Practising gratitude is associated with increased happiness and other positive emotions. Moreover, it also improves the quality of our physical and mental well-being. Research has shown that even a short period of gratitude intervention can have a positive influence on an individual’s subjective well-being, including reduced levels of blood pressure as well as better quality of sleep. Similarly, higher levels of gratitude among individuals have been shown to increase their self-esteem levels over time. In fact, when we express gratitude we are also more likely to put in the effort to take care of our health, including seeking appropriate help and adhering to doctors’ advice.
Being grateful is not only beneficial to our well-being but also helps improve our relationships. For example, when couples acknowledged their gratitude for their significant other they were observed to have more positive emotions towards their partner. Similarly, individuals more appreciative of their significant other were also more likely to be responsive to their partners’ needs.
Practising gratitude has been shown to protect our well-being, particularly after traumatic events such as natural disasters, school shootings or substance abuse Richard Emmons, a Psychology Professor at UC Davis, suggests that one of the reasons expressing gratitude has a positive influence on our well-being is because it allows us to acknowledge our life in the now and take on a more active role when managing our lives.
But how do we ensure that we practice gratitude in the midst of the hustle and bustle that is life?
A Few Ways to Practice Gratitude
a. Keep a Journal
Often we take the positive things that happen to us for granted, but consciously putting in the effort to be thankful has a positive effect not only on our well-being but also on our relationships. You can cultivate expressing your gratitude by keeping a journal to note down all the moments that you appreciate happening in your life. Research has shown gratitude journaling helps individuals be able to reflect on their emotions and behaviours as well as manage their stress levels. Gratitude journaling also has a positive effect on leadership behaviour as they are more likely to consider everything that has happened, both the good and the bad, to make an informed decision and also have been shown to experience higher levels of optimism.
The aim of keeping a gratitude journal is to help reflect on the positive things that you are grateful for whether it is the past day, week or month. However, it is important that you cater this practice to what works best for you; for some keeping, a daily journal is suitable while for others a weekly update is more convenient. There seems to be wisdom behind the saying “count your blessings” after all.
b. Gratitude Meditation
Meditating is one of the most effective ways to practice gratitude and is greatly beneficial for our well-being. While many of us may think of meditation as sitting in a serene space, gratitude meditation can be practised in various environments. In fact, spiritual individuals from various regions tend to begin their day by reflecting on all the things for which they are grateful.
Albeit some individuals tend to keep a journal as part of their meditation practice, gratitude meditation can be carried out without it as well. Research has shown that when practising gratitude meditation frequently, individuals show reduced levels of stress and depression and also an increase in levels of happiness.
Initially practising gratitude meditation can be quite hard as you may find your mind wandering and diverting your attention. Yet, if you put in the conscious effort to practice each step, you will find yourself experiencing gratitude and positive feelings.
You can practice gratitude through other more creative ways. Gratitude jars, gratitude gardens or gratitude boxes are just a few examples of how you can spruce up your gratitude practice. Moreover, the aforementioned examples not only help us be thankful for all the good in our lives but also serve as a reminder during times when we are in desperate need of a pick-me-up.
Ultimately, expressing our gratitude has a lot of benefits for our well-being as well as our interpersonal relationships. It helps ground us in the present while also serving as a reminder during times when we feel low. As we prepare to cruise through 2023, let us take some time whenever possible to appreciate all that we have in our lives.
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