Gratitude means recognizing the things that others have done for you, as well as what you have, rather than focusing on what you don’t.
Showing gratitude has the following mental health benefits:
Expressing gratitude can improve your mood. People who regularly express gratitude for the positive things in their life are shown to be happier overall, leading to lower rates of stress and depression. It also reduces anger and increase empathy.
Showing gratitude can make you more optimistic. Studies show that those who express gratitude regularly appear to have a more positive outlook on life. It helps you sleep better, give you energy and boost self-esteem.
Sharing gratitude can improve social bonds. People have reported feeling more loved and more connected to others in their lives when they routinely practice gratitude or those around them practice gratitude.
Practicing gratitude can improve your physical health. People who actively express gratitude tend to be more engaged in activities to take care of their physical health, like eating well and exercising. This leads to higher energy levels, better sleep and a stronger immune system, or the ability to fight off illness or infection.
How can you practice gratitude?
The first thing is to build gratitude into your daily schedule – and practice it!
Here are a few ways you can practice gratitude to improve the overall well-being of your family and those around you.
- By showing gratitude to others – Showing gratitude can provide a boost to your mental health. Make an effort to say a genuine ‘thank you’ to others.
- Use a daily journal – A daily gratitude journal can help you to see exactly what you’re grateful for, giving you a better state of mind before sleep, readying you for the next day.
- Create a gratitude board – A gratitude board is a physical space where you place visual representations of the things, you’re grateful for. These could be in the form of photos, words, and objects of the people, things and experiences you’re grateful to have in your life. It can provide an excellent visual reminder of all the things you have to be grateful for.
We all have the ability and opportunity to cultivate gratitude. Rather than complain about the things you think you deserve, take a few moments to focus on all that you have. Developing an “attitude of gratitude” is one of the simplest ways to improve your satisfaction with life.
