Gratitude

 Gratitude is a popular topic in both the wellness industry and in spiritual circles. But is gratitude just another passing trend, or something you can really hang your hat on? It’s definitely the latter. Science proves that practicing gratitude can help to improve your health and your happiness. Here’s why.

What is gratitude?

Simply put, gratitude is all about acknowledging the positive people, experiences, and/or things in your life, and saying “Thank you!” for them.

In other words, gratitude is a two-step process. First you become aware of the positivity in your life. Then, you feel appreciative for them.

general, our minds are hardwired to look for and focus on the negative. From an evolutionary standpoint, this is what helped humans survive over the millennia. But this negativity can get out of hand, and it definitely isn’t serving us anymore.

When we focus on what we don’t like, what we don’t have, and what we don’t want, it fuels discontent, unhappiness and disappointment. It makes us blind to what we do like, what we do have, what we do want.

By practicing gratitude, you can start to retrain the brain to see life as half-full, rather than half-empty; as positive, rather than negative; as abundant, rather than lacking.

when you feel gratitude, you increase two feel-good neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin. These, in turn, can uplift not only your mood, but also your health.

If it’s hard for you to come up with things to be grateful for, don’t be hard on yourself.

Your mind is a powerful thing, and after years, and even decades, of focusing on the negative stuff in your life, it can be hard to break this thought pattern overnight.

However, if you take little steps every day to acknowledge and focus on the positive, your brain will slowly get the hint, and start to look for positivity, too.

So, when it feels like there is absolutely nothing to say thank you for, just remember, old habits die hard.

But more importantly, they do die out if we actively replace them with a new habit! And writing down things you’re grateful for is a great place to start.

It’s easy to take what we have for granted, so much so, that we don’t even think it’s worth being grateful for. So, imagine that everything you have is taken away.

What would you miss the most? That thing you miss the most can be something to be grateful for right now.

Maybe it’s the latte you always get on your way to work. Maybe it’s your long, beautiful hair.

Maybe it’s your favorite nighttime facial serum. It doesn’t really matter what it is. It just has to be something you really would hate being without - this is something to be grateful for.

if you’re grateful for your partner, try not to say, “I’m grateful for so-and-so.” Instead, say, “I’m grateful for (name) because (your reason why).” This not only helps you acknowledge what you’re grateful for, but why you’re grateful in the first place.

Go with a gratitude theme. Start with relationships.

For example, what can you be grateful for when it comes to your romantic relationship? What about your other friendships, familial relationships, or colleagues? What are you grateful for when it comes to yourself?

How about your possessions - what do you have that you feel thankful for?

What about the world? Yes, the world can be a big category, but start small.

What is it, about your local community that you love? Then, expend to your region, state, country, or any other place in the world that inspires you.

Nandini Mithun