What is Gratitude
Gratitude, as defined by the American Psychological Association, is a sense of happiness and thankfulness in response to a fortunate happenstance or tangible gift. According to Dr. Robert Emmons, psychologist at the University of California Davis, gratitude involves two stages.
The first stage is the acknowledgement of the goodness in one’s life. During this stage, we recognize that we have received something, tangible or intangible, that gratifies us. The second stage involves recognizing that the source of this goodness has an origin outside ourselves. In this stage, we recognize who or what to thank for the gratitude we feel.
These stages together lead to recognizing the positive in our lives and how this positivity came to us. Being grateful helps us focus on that positivity. Where we spend our energy or focus will grow so when we focus on the positive, it breeds more positivity.
Benefits of Gratitude
There are many benefits to practicing gratitude. These benefits include social wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, psychological wellbeing and even physical wellbeing. Here are some key benefits that you may find in your life with a gratitude practice:
- It changes the neural structures in the brain to make us feel happier and more content
- It reduces toxic aggression, frustration, and regret, even after receiving negative feedback
- It leads to better sleep, more exercise, reduced pain, lower levels of inflammation, and lower blood pressure
- Gratitude journaling has been shown to result in 5-15% increase in optimism and 25% increased sleep quality
- It leads to fewer depressive symptoms and stress
Ways to Cultivate Gratitude
The ability to feel grateful is an adaptive strategy and is a determining factor in overall well-being. But gratitude isn’t just something that happens. It takes deliberate action. Here are ways to cultivate and practices bringing more of it into your life.
- Start a Journal – you can use a piece of paper, a journal or an app but take time to write down what you are grateful for at that moment. Big or small, any gratitude will reap the benefits listed above.
- Keep a Jar – find a beautiful jar or a simple coffee can or anything in between. Using stones, paper clips, or any small trinket you have on hand, place one in the jar every time you are grateful. When the can is full, reward yourself with a special treat.
- Express Appreciation- let others know you appreciate them. A quick text or phone call to let someone know you appreciate them goes a long way in cultivating a gratitude practice.
- Write Letters – once a week, pick someone in your life to write an email, hand written letter or card and send it to them so they know that the gifts they give the world do not go unnoticed.
- Set a Timer – set a timer on your smart phone or watch for a set interval, like once an hour. Each time the timer goes off, pause what you are doing and acknowledge something you are grateful for in that moment
- Remember gratitude during the hard times – when times get hard, double down on your gratitude practice by doing more of the items listed above. It will make the hard times easier.
Conclusion
None of us is born with an attitude of gratitude, but we can foster it and grow it in ourselves. Additionally, it is contagious so when you practice gratitude and others see it, they too will begin to cultivate more gratitude in their lives. The benefits are robust and lead to a more wholistic well-balanced and happy life. Start big or small, but begin practicing right away.
