Practicing gratitude can improve mental health and benefit relationships in our life. Below are some ways you can start to integrate gratitude into your life. Are you looking to increase your happiness? Learn how practicing gratitude can help!
An increased sense of happiness may be more obtainable than you may think. Choosing to focus your attention on what you appreciate can train your mind to scan the environment for what you are grateful for.
Definition of Gratitude
Based on Dr. Robert Emmon’s research, gratitude can be defined as an emotion, disposition or trait that involves 2 stages.
Acknowledgment of goodness in one’s life
The acknowledgment that we have received something gratifies us, both by its presence and by the effort the giver put into choosing it.
Recognizing that some of the sources of this goodness lie outside the self.
There is appreciation towards the giver of the gift (i.e. person, animal, higher power)
Definition of Gratitude
Studies show that cultivating gratitude can have many benefits:
Benefits:
- Increase overall sense of well being
- Better immunity
- Decrease depression
- Decreased anger
- Decreased stress
- Decreased pain
- Decrease in anxiety
- Increased resilience
- Reduce blood pressure
- Better sleep
- Stronger, deeper relationships
- Increased empathy
Ways to practice gratitude
Developing gratitude is not complicated and does not require any specific training. You may find that like many other skills, the more you practice it, the easier it becomes!
Research shows that after 21 days of practicing gratitude, your brain retains the process of scanning the environment for positives and it becomes more second nature to notice opportunities to cultivate gratitude.
https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-journal-pdf/
Below are some suggestions that can help cultivate a sense of gratitude.
Examples:
- Gratitude Journal: Keep a journal about things, people, or situations for which you are grateful.
- Shift your focus: Practice shifting your attentio from what is lacking to noticing what you already have.
- Gratitude letter: Write a letter to someone for whom you are thankful. You may consider sending it to the person if possible.
- Meditate on gratitude: Become aware of what there is to be grateful for.
- “Count Your Blessings” exercise: At the end of the day, write down three things for which you were grateful for.
- Saying “thank you”: Practice saying thank you in a real authentic way. Try to be specific and let the person know how their action was helpful or meaningful.
- Thank you notes. Challenge yourself to write one hand-written note every week for one month.
- Celebrate minor accomplishments
Like any other skill, integrating and becoming comfortable and “fluent” with NVC takes a patience and practice. You may find that it takes a different level of awareness of ourselves and others that perhaps we are not used to being in touch with. It may seem mechanical when starting to apply it, but with practice you can adapt the process to sound more natural to you.
Questions to reflect on
- Take a minute to notice what is here, right now that you are grateful for.
- Which gratitude practice resonates most for you
Useful Links
If you are interested in learning more about NVC and its application in your life, I have listed some resources:
- The Science of Gratitude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMd1CcGZYwU
- Neuroscience of Gratitude: https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/
- Shawn Archor – The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXy__kBVq1M&t=46s - One Simple Mindful Gratitude Exercise: https://www.mindful.org/a-simple-mindful-gratitude-exercise/
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Therapy can be a safe space to work on having a more mindful approach our inner experience. If this post resonated, and you find that cognitive distortions are affecting your well-being feel free to reach out to schedule a FREE consultation.
