When encountering rough times, people often forget that the strongest weapon against the negativity is within themselves. At the times we feel down, it’s important for us to remember that we should be grateful. We can overcome challenges when we have gratitude in our life because it’s easier to be happier when we are thankful. And that becomes our weapon in facing negativity.
The idea of gratitude is more than just knowing how to thank others, but it’s also about who and what to be grateful for. It’s about learning to be more appreciative, content, and humble with what you receive. Gratitude teaches us that there’s always a new blessing with each day.
But how powerful can gratitude really be? We’ll be discussing how gratitude changes the way we think, as well as how you can practice it.
Gratitude and The Impact on Our Lives
Oprah Winfrey quotes, “Be thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” This reflects the way gratitude works in changing our mindset.
How we feel in the moment is dependent on the energy around us. For example, if we were to keep hearing negative news or witness upsetting situations, the impact of those emotions is likely to reflect in the way we speak and act. As a result, the negativity in the air would only grow. The way these feelings spread is the same as it would with positivity.
Studies show that gratitude is strongly associated with the development of happier emotions. From various observations, people who incorporate grateful thinking tend top have higher levels of happiness as opposed to someone who doesn’t regularly practice gratitude.
The increase of positive thinking and feelings that come from being grateful also results to better physical health and relationships. Overall well-being significantly improves because of the increase of good emotions. Most people share how they started to develop healthier habits such as with sleeping, eating, and working.
Expressing gratitude also helps in strengthening the bond you have with the people around you. It mostly stems from showing appreciation for the people you love, whether it’s for something big or small. As a result, you are able to make a stronger connection with each other while being able to spread happiness.
Taking The Big Shift of Gratitude
Every person faces a different challenge in life. Sometimes, it makes it rather harder to take the jump to a grateful life. It could take time, but that’s okay. Gratitude isn’t something that can happen overnight, especially when the negative energy around you is too overwhelming. This is where practicing gratefulness comes into the picture.
Feeling thankful naturally comes to us when we receive something good. However, there are other things to be grateful for beyond what we take. When you practice gratitude, you’ll come to realize how much more you have to be thankful for even by just looking around you.
Here’s a few ways you can start practicing gratitude daily:
How to Become More Grateful
The key to having a heart of gratitude is being able to accept both the good and bad. Thinking positively plays a vital role in being grateful. However, we won’t be able to truly learn it without understanding that our challenges are important too. Your mindset starts changing once you approach these situations differently.
To practice gratitude, you can do as follows:
- Start a gratitude journal or remind yourself of three things.
Having a gratitude journal is a fun way to practice gratefulness. In the journal, you can keep track of your progress by finding how much your perspective is changing. You can list down gratitude questions and prompts, notes, or reflections about your day.
A simpler way to do this is by thinking of three things your grateful for each day. It reminds you that every day comes with a new blessing. Doing this will also helps you in developing the mindset to remember to be grateful all the time.
2. Be more expressive.
Expression makes a significant change in us when it comes to becoming more grateful. When we communicate the gratitude, it becomes a stronger emotion. Compared to when we feel appreciative of others, expressing that feeling means we are giving back. It’s something that is good for you and the people who receive your gratefulness.
3. See everything as a gift.
Learning to view everything as a gift is a total game-changer with practicing gratitude. It focuses on your approach and how you take in the impacts of different situations. When you remind yourself that what’s in front of you is a gift, good or bad, you learn to appreciate it. Even with a complicated situation, you will be able to get right back up after the fall.
Incorporating Gratitude in Our Daily Life
Applying these practices will slowly help you grow and change your point-of-view. The start isn’t always going to be the easiest, but the results are surely going to be worth the time. If you’re still stuck on where to start with your practice, you can check out the platform Three Things Daily.
Three Things Daily provides you with a space where you can start practicing gratitude with the company of others through the gratitude wall. Members of the platform’s community can post three things they are grateful for every day. It encourages starters to freely express their gratitude while being able to maintain the spread of positive energy with every member that shares their gratefulness.
The Bottomline
The power of being thankful is strong enough to help us overcome the toughest challenges. Living a grateful life allows us to grow and shape ourselves into the best versions we can be. From gratitude, we learn to appreciate and gain a deeper understanding of what’s around us. With every moment we live with a heart of gratitude, we are taking a leap towards a better life both for us and for the people around us.
