The Art of Being Grateful
As we look at the world around us it can be easy to get caught up in the drama. Especially for people who have sought out the truths in the world. It gets to a point when you realize everything you ever thought you knew was and is a fraud and it can be difficult to see the world and future as anything but bleak.
It was at this point that I was the most disconnected with gratitude that I had ever been. This was a mistake, for it is gratitude that can not only help you through times when the world seems to be imploding on itself but also strengthen your mind and soul and build a mental muscle for automatic gratitude in the future that has a multitude of health benefits associated with it.
Here we will break down the plethora of benefits then get into some ways that anyone can become a gratitude guru.
Gratitude grows relationships, promotes health, lessens stress, and, in general, makes us happier.
Being thankful can have enormous benefits on your quality of life. Gratitude seems to be one of the most overlooked and underused mechanisms that all of us have access to every day. Fostering gratitude doesn’t cost any money and it surely doesn’t take much time. That being said, the benefits are immense. Research reveals gratitude can have several benefits:
Gratitude Grows relationships Acknowledging other people’s contributions can lead to new opportunities. Thanking people makes them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship with you.
Gratitude improves psychological health. Gratitude reduces a plenitude of toxic emotions, ranging from resentment and regret to frustration and envy. Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., is a gratitude researcher, he has conducted multiple studies on the link between gratitude and well-being. His research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.
Gratitude reduces aggression Grateful people are more likely to behave in a positive manner, even when others behave less kind, according to a study by the University of Kentucky. Study participants who ranked higher on gratitude scales were less likely to retaliate against others.
Gratitude builds resistance to trauma A 2006 study published in Behavior Research and Therapy found that Vietnam War Veterans with higher levels of gratitude experienced lower rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A 2003 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that gratitude was a major contributor to resilience following the terrorist attacks on September 11.
Acknowledging all you have to be thankful for – even during the gravest times of your life – cultivates resilience.
We all have the capacity and chance to cultivate gratitude every single day.
There are multiple ways to practice the strategy of gratitude. You'll be a guru in no time.
Good Morning Gratitude Start your day off with everything you have to be grateful for. Pick one thing, or go on and on. Get in the habit. It is a surefire way to start the day off on the right foot setting your trajectory and reminding you early on what you have to be grateful for.
Express gratitude directly to others The expression of gratitude is particularly effective when done directly. Think - phone, letter, or face-to-face. Thank the stranger who holds the door for you. Thank your best friend for being there for you, even if it has been weeks or months since you last spoke. Thank your parents for having you.
Give up griping Give up griping for as long as you can, if you slip up don't worry, simply start again. There is no sense in reinforcing those negative emotions and that negative energy continuously. Soon you will see how much time you actually spent being the opposite of grateful.
When you find yourself in a bad situation ask: What can I learn? When I look back on this, without emotion, what will I be grateful for?
