“Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.” Amy Collette
With Thanksgiving behind us we may have turned our attention away from being grateful for the people, places and things in our lives. It’s easy to take our daily blessings for granted until they’re not there anymore.
Things like running water, heat in our homes as the days get colder, a vehicle to drive, food to eat—these are blessings that the majority of the people in the world don’t have. Most importantly, we need to appreciate and be grateful for the people in our lives.
Taking a moment now and then to count our blessings is good for our relationships, our physical health, our emotional well-being and can even help us sleep better according to studies conducted on the benefits of gratitude.
Gratitude is an emotion similar to appreciation but has a deeper sense of the value of what is being appreciated. Gratitude is a mood booster and can attract more things to be grateful for as we focus on the positive aspects of our lives.
A study done in 2016 concluded that gratitude has diminished in Western society as people expect and demand more and more things and take their benefits for granted. This could be why the rates of depression are so high in nations where there is an abundance of things to be grateful for.
Gratitude is strongly related to wellbeing according to a study conducted in 2020. Gratitude was found to be associated with increased social, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. Gratitude was identified as an important predictor of overall wellness and other desirable life outcomes.
The next time you feel low, try thinking of even one thing that you could be grateful for and focus on it for even half a minute. The power of gratitude will work in your favour and will uplift and strengthen your emotional state.
Gratitude has a sort of snowball effect. Once we decide to be thankful we start to notice more and more things we can be thankful for. We put ourselves in a state to attract more positive interactions and experiences.
Practicing gratitude in our relationships increases the joy we experience. As we are grateful toward the people in our lives, this is often reciprocated and we gain a greater sense of also being appreciated.
Try it at home! It is far too easy to take our family members for granted. Make a conscious effort to be grateful for the things they do for you and for the people they are. “Thank you” are two magic words put together.
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” Voltaire
