Thank you.
Have you ever tried to start a conversation by saying this?
More often than not, we use the phrase “thank you” as a response when something good happens for us. Most of us have a natural expectation that we should be on the benefitting end of things before we express our gratitude. Nowadays, showing gratitude has become more of a social etiquette rather than a virtue.
But you see, gratitude is more than just a display of etiquette. Not is it only emphasized by different religions, Science also made significant efforts on encouraging us to practice it in our daily lives. This is because exercising gratitude can change your life in a positive way.
Aside from being a response when something good goes our way, Why is being grateful so important? And how does being grateful affect your health? In this article, we will be defining the true meaning of gratitude and how practicing it will positively change your life.
Gratitude is the foundation of happiness as it allows you to view the world from a positive perspective. It also serves as the foundation of becoming self-sufficient in all aspects of your being.
Remember that famous quote from Yoda how fear is the path to the dark side? In contrast to this, gratitude leads us to the other end of this spectrum. I don’t mean that you’ll actually become a Jedi, but instead, you’ll be living comfortably on the lighter side of life.
Practicing gratitude leads to a multitude of other positive qualities such as contentment, motivation, satisfaction and even improvement to your physical health.
Although being grateful may be as simple as saying “thank you” or habitually writing down things to be grateful for in your “gratitude journal”, the benefits of gratitude are potentially endless.
Here are 5 benefits of gratitude that will make a great impact on your life.
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How does being grateful affect your health?
Although gratitude is a thought that starts from the mind, its benefits are not limited to this source. It has been proven by Science that regularly applying gratitude in your life is beneficial to both your mind and body.
When you are constantly feeling grateful, you are more likely to be at peace. When you feel at peace, your stress levels start to become more manageable.
There had already been a lot of research regarding the effects of stress on one’s body. Generally speaking, high levels of stress is equated to unwellness. Even without reading what Science says about the bad effects of stress, you already have your own experience of how it negatively affected your health.
Managing your stress levels is a health concept that is always stressed (pun intended) with great importance. Just with this alone, the health benefits of gratitude becomes more significant in your life.
Modern psychology has also proven that gratitude helps you get better good night sleeps. Instead of counting sheep, try recounting the good things that happened to you that day. You’ll find it easier to get a night of better quality sleep. In the morning, instead of being burdened by upcoming chores, you start to look forward to the new good things that may happen to you.
Aside from its health benefits, Why is being grateful so important?
Gratitude lets you view everything in a better light. With this newfound perspective, you start to re-evaluate and appreciate yourself and the world around you. This improved awareness opens your consciousness to the true value of yourself, what you have, and what the world still has to offer. By directing you through this state of mind, gratitude can change your life.
When you value yourself more, you start giving it the care that it deserves. May it be personal hygiene or fitness, addressing your shortcomings, managing your stress levels or feeding your mind with good reads such as this. Knowing your true self-worth allows you to cherish the good aspects of yourself and seek to improve your faults.
This new perspective also makes you aware of the good things around you. You become more appreciative of what you currently have and how having it gives you happiness. Some of us may be guilty that we tend to focus more on our wants and somehow we end up ignoring what we attained. Although it is not bad to set your eyes on the prize, learning to appreciate what we already have is also important in achieving our goals. After all, everything you experience is a part of this beautiful world.
Happiness is one of the easily recognizable benefits of gratitude.
When you start looking for things you are grateful for, you are shifting your attention towards what is positive. This mindset also allows you to find blessings within your misfortunes.
The more you practice gratitude in your life, the more the feeling of happiness becomes constant. What’s more is you can also be grateful for the blessings other people around you receive, adding more sources of happiness in your life.
Gratitude can change your life when you learn to apply it to recognize the good things about yourself and others.
When you are grateful, you are happy. When you are happy, you tend to dwell less on negative emotions. All the energy that we used before on dwelling on our negativity is now available to be used for something more productive.
As gratefulness gives you a sense of peace, you find it easier to find inspiration for what you want to achieve. Your improved health also allows you to do more work with your mind and body.
Even when your actions result in failure, gratitude can change your life as it allows you to view your setbacks into a learning experience. Thus, adding more fuel for your motivations and bring you one step closer to your goal.
In life, we will certainly experience failure at some point in our lives. It is an integral part of being human. But constantly practicing gratitude even when life knocks you down, you develop the unyielding attitude you need to become successful in life.
People sense it when they are genuinely appreciated. As you show them gratitude, they tend to reciprocate these positive vibes back to you. This creates deeper social bonds and forms other positive social qualities such as trust and openness.
Gratitude also teaches us the value of appreciating what we have, leading us to feel content. The more we feel contented, the easier it is for us to overcome negative mindsets such as envy, jealousy, and materialism (Don’t let the dark force consume you!). When you learn to appreciate everything as they are, you tend to have fewer expectations and disappointments.
Interacting with other people without these negative feelings creates a desirable impact on social relationships.
Applying gratitude in your life can be done in many ways. It’s free, simple and can be done at any time. The more you cultivate this attitude on a daily basis, the more gratitude can change your life in every aspect imaginable. As you take notice of more positive changes due to adopting this newfound attitude of gratitude, down the road, miraculously, you’ll discover even more blessings to be thankful for.
We would love to hear how gratefulness has changed your life or if you haven’t started… what steps will you be taking in order to incorporate this into your daily life.
