How To Practice Gratitude?
Gratitude is a feeling that every person in the world feels, whether they are happy or sad. No matter how big or small the thing you are thankful for is, the emotional magnitude is always of significant proportions. However, over the years, saying “thank you” had become a learned reflex that we say more out of courtesy than real gratitude.
This makes us immune and resistant to true thankfulness. As a result, we often start acting entitled, grow complacent, and take things for granted. This, in turn, is disastrous for our emotional maturity and empathetic capacity. The only solution is to start practicing gratitude sincerely again and counting your blessings every day.
So, Why Practicing Gratitude Is So Important?
We at I Got U believe that practicing gratitude is good for not only the feelings of others but also for your own well-being.
Moreover, several pieces of research have shown that practicing gratitude has the following positive effects on a person:
- Practicing gratitude does wonders for your mental health. In fact, one of the most important exercises in many psychotherapy techniques is to journal or note things that a person is thankful for each day. It helps one get over the aspects of life that they are not very hopeful or happy about.
- The practice of gratitude also helps a person tide over hardships. If a person focuses on the good things in their life instead of the more bleak ones, they get renewed energy and motivation to fight through the difficulty.
- When you practice gratitude daily, your general mood stays good too. You feel content, happy, and enthusiastic.
- Practicing gratitude also helps increase creativity and productivity at work due to higher enthusiasm and energy while completing tasks.
- An actively practiced sense of gratitude is essential for the higher attainment of goals too. This is because when you are aware of the good things you have in life, you are better motivated to achieve more of them.
Tips For Practicing Gratitude
If you are not in the practice of feeling and expressing gratitude sincerely yet, here are a few tips you can apply in your life to start doing so:
#1. Use Mindfulness Technique
Mindfulness is the practice of being hyper-aware of everything around you without judging or trying to explain them. It is a meditation technique that helps you recognize and differentiate between aspects of life better so you can be thankful for them.
#2. Maintain A List Of Reminders
Make a list of everything in your life right now that you are grateful for. Whenever you feel low, look at the list for a reminder of why life is good.
#3. Keep A Gratitude Journal
A gratitude journal helps you keep track of the things happening in your life that you are thankful for. You can note one or more things to be grateful for each day.
#4. Express And Mean Your Thanks
Do not miss a chance to let someone know that you appreciate what they did for you. But that is not enough: You must also earnestly mean the “thank you” that you say.
#5. Call Them Learning Opportunities, Not Hardships
Instead of rolling over when a difficulty arises, you will be able to overcome them if you face them head-on. When you take on hardship as an opportunity to learn and grow, and thus, be thankful for, you develop into a stronger person.
#6. Make Time For Your Loved Ones
Everything can be earned back but not the time that you lost. Grab every opportunity you get to spend with those you are close to. That time will not return. And who knows what tomorrow might bring?
#7. Volunteer Whenever Possible
Whenever you can, volunteer to help people less fortunate than you. This will open up the harsh life that is the daily reality of many people to you, helping you, to be thankful for what you have.
#8. Perform Deliberate Acts Of Kindness
Doing at least one act of kindness each day helps you be grateful for the ability and opportunity to make someone’s life better. After all, real happiness is in giving, not taking.
#9. Commit To The Practice Of Gratitude
Sometimes, the active pursuit of happiness can feel forced and tiring. Holding on at this crucial point instead of abandoning the practice helps turn it into a healthy habit.
#10. Share Your Gratitude With Others
When you share your gratitude with others and talk about all the good things we all have in life, you make someone else’s life better along with yours.
To Conclude,
Gratitude is irreplaceable. You can find happiness, money, luxury, love, and even a new life. But when you ignore the good in your life and fail to show your gratitude, you essentially push them away.
Moreover, being grateful helps you remember the things that truly matter, and you can always reach out to I Got U to explore more about it.