“Gratitude is “an affirmation of goodness”. When you practice gratitude, you acknowledge the good things in the world and the gifts you’ve received in your life.” ~ Robert Emmons
Gratitude is more than just a overused feel-good buzzword. In fact, gratitude is a surprisingly powerful force. It’s an attitude and practice shown to improve your mental, physical, and emotional health.
Gratitude is often defined as the expression of a deep appreciation for something or someone that is given freely without expecting anything in return.
Showing appreciation and gratitude for the things and people in your lives can help you adapt to change, cope with difficulties, increase your business success, regulate your emotions and improve your mental and physical well-being.
According to Robert Emmons, psychology professor and one of the leading scientific experts on gratitude at the University of California, Davis, gratitude is “an affirmation of goodness”. When you practice gratitude, you acknowledge the good things in the world and the gifts you’ve received in your life.
“This doesn’t mean that life is perfect,” Emmons says, “it doesn’t ignore complaints, burdens, and hassles. But when we look at life as a whole, gratitude encourages us to identify some amount of goodness in our life.”
And identifying this goodness has a big impact on our brains, bodies and well-being. Studies show that people who practice gratitude experience more positive emotions, improve their physical health, build stronger relationships, and better deal with adversity.
The Effects of Practicing Gratitude
1 | Gratitude Boosts Positive Emotions
Gratitude can help you experience more positive emotions. When we practice appreciation for the people, things, or experiences around us, we become more present and engaged with life and the joys and pleasures it has to offer. Gratitude interrupts the mental cycle of negativity bias helping to decrease anxiety and depression and shift your mindset towards more ease. With consistent practice, this positive mindset becomes a new habit, helping you experience more of the “good stuff”.
2 | Gratitude is Good For Your Body
Gratitude can improve not only your mental health but your physical health as well. Studies have shown the practicing gratitude can lead to lower blood pressure, stronger immune systems, and better sleep. People that practice gratitude are also reported to experience less aches and pains and seem to take better care of themselves with more regular exercise and check-ups at the doctor.
3 | Gratitude Improves Relationships (not just romantic ones)
Research shows that practicing gratitude can make our romantic relationships more satisfying, help us feel more invested in our friendships, and lead us to be more helpful coworkers. Beyond just feeling more positive about one another, gratitude helps us feel more comfortable expressing concerns about the relationship and motivates us to work harder and show up more fully in our relationships and jobs.
4 | Gratitude Makes Us More Resilient
Grateful people are more resilient when stressed. Studies show that a grateful disposition can help a person recover more quickly in the face of serious adversity and suffering. Given the physical, emotional and relational benefits described above, it doesn’t come as a surprise that people who practice gratitude feel more able to deal with the challenges they face. Staying connected to the resources in and around us helps guard against the anxiety of life’s stressors.
How to Actually Feel Grateful (and shift towards a gratitude mindset)
Whether you are a naturally grateful person or you find yourself more on the pessimistic side, a gratitude mindset is a skill we can all develop. The benefits of gratitude build up over time, so finding small and easy practices that you can commit to each day is the best way to feel the effects in your life.
Start actively tuning into the positive events in your life and anything that make you feel good. Try one (or more!) of these tips today:
- Get into a habit of writing down three things you’re grateful for daily.
- Text/tell a loved one why you appreciate them. Bonus: It’ll probably make their day too.
- As you fall asleep or in quiet moments, make a mental gratitude list starting with each letter of the alphabet.
- Start a daily gratitude journal.
- Visualize something you love (a person, place, pet or object) and let your imagination bring it to life. Let yourself fill up with warmth.
Bottomline, Gratitude Is An “Affirmation of Goodness”
References:
- https://www.calm.com/blog/why-gratitude-is-good-for-your-mental-healthhttps://www.calm.com/blog/why-gratitude-is-good-for-your-mental-health
- https://www.mindful.org/an-introduction-to-mindful-gratitude/
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