Gratitude – we’re all capable of it, but sometimes we need a little reminder, or a little convincing to practice it. There are many reasons to practice gratitude, but we are only recently discovering one of the big ones – its capacity to change and strengthen the brain in remarkably positive ways. So the easy answer is that gratitude is both an emotion and a feeling. As with other emotions, gratitude can also become a trait.

You might be saying, “Easier said than done.”  But really all it takes is 3 easy steps. For instance, if you are grateful for a recent good blood test result, this will reinforce health as a positive thing in your mind. It’s more likely that you will continue to go for these tests and checkups, and regularly monitor your health. Have you ever wondered why your parents drilled good manners into your head? Making you say “Please” and “Thank you” after every little thing? Well, studies show that the simple act of saying “Thank you for XYZ” improves your relationships with those around you.

Relationship to mental health

Some people seem to take to gratitude easier, for others of us it takes a conscious effort and practice. It’s easy to be grateful for the obvious but when I get inundated with the tougher side of life it seems harder to appreciate the little things/people that make life better. A timely read as I deal with a relationship where gratitude is so distant.

Build relationships by writing thank-you letters to people in your life. Go into detail about treasured memories from your relationship, including the seemingly insignificant interactions and moments of lightheartedness they may have forgotten about. Write about the positive effect they’ve had on your life.

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Oxytocin deepens our relationships and helps us feel more connected to others. It also supports us in building a network of family and friends, which results in a longer and healthier life. People experiencing heartfelt gratitude and high levels of happiness have far greater self-esteem and confidence than those with an attitude of doom and gloom. Being grateful focuses our attention on happier, more positive thoughts which helps them feel better about themselves and banishes negative self-talk.

• One can be grateful to our creator, other people, animals, and the world, but not to oneself.
• I have
  spent so many years dealing with anxiety and stress thinking
  of so many different ways to overcome my demons but the
  simple notion of Gratitude is so powerful and enlightening.
• A gratitude journal is worth maintaining for this alone!
• So, when it does, recognize it, accept that you’ve thought it, and move on to Step 2.
• Gratitude – we’re all capable of it, but sometimes we need a little reminder, or a little convincing to practice it.

This helps us switch our attention from toxic emotions, such as resentment and envy. A simple way to experience them is just by saying “Thank you,” more often, and writing in a daily gratitude journal. It might seem silly at first, but over time this is a really useful tool for being a happier, more grateful person. If you are plagued by negativity, you are going to have a difficult, if not impossible, time expressing gratitude.

Why is Gratitude Important – The 15 Benefits to Know

On New Year’s Eve, open up the notes and remind yourself of all the wonderful moments you were grateful for throughout the year. According to Robert Emmons, a leading scientific expert on the topic, gratitude is “an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received”[1]. This suggests that gratitude is more than just actions; it is an intention that we speak to ourselves that affirms the good things and people in our life.

And as it turns out, expressing gratitude contributes to our bottom line. In general, practicing gratitude at work with our fellow team members makes us happier, improves our moods, and makes us feel more connected to others. I found a neat little thing to do for yourself and your friends that’s sort of fun but helps with the self-esteem in a https://ecosoberhouse.com/ big way sometimes. This friend I used to have had a habit of saying she was sorry all the time and it just made me crazy because really, there was nothing to be sorry for usually. Finally one time I told her the next time I catch her saying that for no reason she had to stop what she was doing and tell me five things she liked about herself.

Switching to the lens of gratitude will make us look at life as colorful, warm, and a fun place to be. To be more grateful is, therefore, a matter of our thinking and something that is definitely within gratitude in recovery our control. If we feel stressed, we tend to narrow down the problems that can make us lose perspective. Gratitude can reorient our thinking from toxicity and negativity to optimism and happiness.

• We were thrilled to usher in the new year, but we’re going to need to wait a bit longer until life is back to something closer to what it was before.
• I see it as a relationship-strengthening emotion because it requires us to see how we’ve been supported and affirmed by other people.
• Thanksgiving is important because it is a designated time assigned to encourage us to pause to be mindful of the blessings we have.
• Gratitude means to feel appreciative and thankful for something positive that was done to us.