"Gratitude turns what we have into enough."
- Aesop
Take 30 seconds to think about three things or people you are grateful for right now. (⏳😁) Feel better? Science shows us expressing gratitude:
Improves physical health
Improves psychological health
Improves self-esteem
Increases mental strength
Increases sleep quality
Enhances empathy and reduces aggression
If that is not enough to convince you to express more gratitude in your life toward yourself and others, think of it from another perspective. How does it feel when people express gratitude toward you, even for something as small as holding the door for them or waving them through the crosswalk while sitting at a stop sign? Feels good, right?
Finding things to be grateful for can be much tougher when it seems like our internal and external world have taken a turn for the worse. It makes sense. When seeing all of the negativity surrounding us at times, feeling gratitude toward anything might seem contradictory, or even inauthentic. That's how I used to feel until I shifted my perspective on the subject.
Instead of feeling down about everything that was not going right in my life, after researching the science of it all, I started a gratitude journal in February of 2018. To this day, (almost) every night, I write down three things that I am grateful for, usually involving something I experienced that day. Even on the "WTF?" days I am grateful for lessons and opportunities for growth. Sometimes it is as simple as, "I am grateful for my family." But I always start out with "I am grateful for. . ." And it is always three things.
I can't show tangible proof of how my daily habit of expressing more gratitude has improved my quality of life, but I will say this: I am much more grateful for all of the blessings in my life, both big and small. My quality of life has improved drastically! I noticed how I stopped focusing on the negativity surrounding me in my daily life. I pay no mind to toxic energy directed toward me. That's not being fair to myself. I am grateful for having this perspective. I am also grateful to you for reading this. 🙏
More wellness!
