I know that I have blogged about gratitude before, but it is a message that bears repeating. And I saw something recently that brought it back to my attention, so I wanted to revisit the subject. Gratitude is powerful in maintaining a healthy outlook in life.
The practice of gratitude is as old as time. Gratitude has an amazing ability of helping us not just to be happy but in many aspects of our life. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery.
But while we may know about gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. It is in our nature’s to notice what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more than just a Thanksgiving word. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. And that can take some time.
That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing. Just like obtaining any trait that we do not already have, it takes work.
Remember gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Bad things happen in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope. When you turn on the news, you hear enough about the bad things and rarely about the good. So to truly be balanced we need to specifically seek to find and remember the good.
There are many things to be grateful for and they can be big or small: colorful autumn leaves, legs that work, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh eggs, warm jackets, tomatoes, the ability to read, flowers, our health, family. What’s on your list?
Some Ways to Practice Gratitude
- Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way.
- Make a gratitude collage by drawing or pasting pictures.
- Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine to say something you are thankful for.
- Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation.
- When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.
- Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it, sing about it, and express thanks for gratitude.
As you practice, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. That sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work. And in turn this leads to a healthier life as well!
