Gratitude – The Art of Showing Appreciation
When we are facing negative events, obstacles or emotional suffering in our lives, it can be hard not to get caught up in the problems that we have to deal with, and we might forget to focus on the parts that are positive and good in our lives.
In order to rebalance to the dynamic between negative and positive in our lives, we can make a conscious effort to look at the things that are going well and bring us joy, at the people that are surrounding us, and to be as aware as possible of all the positivity that might be around us.
What is Gratitude?
Gratitude is a strategy through which we express our appreciation for what we have in our lives. Like any other useful tool or technique, to fully enjoy its benefits, we need to practice it and transform it into a habit. We do this by raising our awareness and setting the specific goal of looking at what is working in our lives and noticing even the small things that we sometimes take for granted.
The point is not to wait for something big or major to happen so we can enjoy it and then move on. It is easy to feel gratitude when we get a promotion at our job, but it is more important to look at the small things and feel grateful because we had a meaningful conversation with a friend or did a small act of kindness that day.
What are the benefits of practicing gratitude?
It improves our emotional and physical health
Practicing gratitude helps reinforce and boost our immune system, improves sleep quality and energy levels and fights against fatigue. Expressing gratitude is linked to lower levels of stress, depression and anxiety. It facilitates positive emotions and makes us more resilient. A high level of gratitude has a strong positive impact on psychological well-being and self-esteem.
Gratitude increases our overall health: grateful people are healthier people!
It improves our relationships
By having the habit of practicing gratitude, we can understand others better, we become more empathic and more open with the people around us, we inspire more trust and positivity and, in this way, we can deepen our existing relationships and form new ones.
People who are more grateful have a wider social network, more friends, and better relationships. Gratitude helps improve the quality of our romantic relationships and our friendships. Moreover, it increases our access to social support that we might need in difficult times.
It helps us put things into perspective
When we practice gratitude, we are more likely to see difficult situations in a less negative light, be more open to new solutions and options, and get unstuck more easily. When we face an obstacle, we could ask ourselves: What can I learn from this situation? When I look back, and my emotions will not be so intense, what will I be grateful for from this circumstance?
Noticing what we already have can make us feel more positive about our lives. People who pay attention to what is good instead of what is bad are more likely to feel positive about their lives.
How can you practice gratitude?
The Gratitude Journal
A gratitude journal will help you to put positive and negative experiences into perspective and get you in the habit of noticing positive experiences as they happen, giving them more attention. But introducing a new habit in your life implies daily practice. Take a few minutes every day to write down 3 – 5 things that happened that day that you are grateful for.
Journaling Tips
Allow yourself the time and space to write. Don’t rush to put down the first thing that comes to your mind. Take time to truly think about what you’re grateful for.
Avoid general statements and go towards the specific. For example, instead of saying, “I am grateful because my partner is supportive,” try, “I am grateful that today my partner listened to me talk about my job and helped me find a solution to my work problem.” In this way, your mind will start looking for the small positive things to focus on.
Offer as many details as possible in order to capture that moment and to help you form a positive memory.
Keep your journal somewhere in reach where it can be available to you. Plan when you can write and set a reminder so you don’t forget.
Take some time to review your journal. Go over what you write in a week and try to remember all the positive experiences that you have described.
Useful Prompts:
“The best part about today….”
“A valuable lesson I learned...”
“A fun experience I had...”
“An act of kindness I did or received...”
“An unexpected good thing that happened... “
“An experience I feel thankful to have had...”
“Something I accomplished…”
“Someone I could rely on…”
“Someone who came through for me…”
The gratitude letter and visit
Think about someone who had a meaningful impact on your life at some point, who helped you make an important decision, or from whom you learned valuable things. Write a letter with all the specific details that you appreciate about them and that you are thankful for.
You can then email the letter, read it in a phone conversation or make a gratitude visit, in which you deliver it in person and share what you wrote with them. Gratitude visits are the perfect opportunity to strengthen our relationships and to make someone's day.
Don’t save your Thankyous
Be present during the day and actively look for reasons to say “thank you”. Try to recognize the small behaviors that the people in your life do every day and that you might take for granted.
After you have a conversation with a friend and you feel listened to and understood, tell that person that you are thankful for precisely that. Express genuine gratitude towards the ones that surround you!
Involve your loved ones in practicing gratitude
Our relationships bring us tons of positive emotions. So, it’s worthwhile to involve them in our helpful habits. You can talk to your partner every night about what you are grateful for in your lives and your relationship, taking turns sharing the things you are both thankful for. You can extend this when you talk to your family, friends and colleagues.
Let’s Talk
If you are curious to discover even more ways to bring gratitude into your life and how you can make cultivating it a powerful habit so you can experience all its benefits, get in touch. We can discuss your needs and goals and find ways to personalize this process so you can get the most out of it.
