10 reasons why you should practice gratitude

10 reasons why you should practice gratitude. According to google dictionary, gratitude is the quality of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation for, and to return kindness.

That’s the Google version, gratitude to me is just the art of being thankful, simple. A couple of years ago my mom told me about a book called I’m rich beyond my wildest dreams, I am, I am, I am, and a month or so after I read conversations with god, and it like the whole gratitude aspect floated off the pages and smacked me in the face.

It was then that my active relationship with gratitude began. I’m naturally super corny and I believe in all the magic in the world, among which of course is GRATITUDE. And since I know the magic of gratitude I thought I should share that magic with all of you because sharing, is caring.

1. Gratitude makes you happier

The first magical aspect of gratitude is that it makes you happier. How? I’ll demonstrate.

Think about all the good things in your life right now. It could be your beautiful family or your amazing friends, it could be your wonderful grades in school or that you go a good night’s sleep, it could be that you go to that parking spot you like, now be grateful for it.

Acknowledge it and say thank you. Go back to that moment when you saw that parking spot you like so much, how happy you felt backing into it, and knowing that your car will be parked in the shade all day.

Being At that moment fills your body with joy, and that joy comes from being grateful for that amazing thing.

2. Gratitude improves mental health

According to psychology today, research has shown gratitude not only reduces stress, but it may also play a major role in overcoming 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. Recognizing all that you have to be thankful for —even during the worst times—fosters resilience.

3. Gratitude enhances empathy

The third reason why you should practice gratitude is it enhances empathy.

Gratitude increases our capacity for empathy, first, what is empathy? Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. How does it do that exactly?

In my opinion, I feel that me being grateful allows me to live more deliberately, it allows me to feel more, and being able to feel more allows me to relate better and more easily to other people’s feelings and thus makes me more empathic :}.

4. Gratitude improves the quality of sleep

The fourth reason why you should practice gratitude is that it improves the quality of sleep.

According to psychology today, there was a study done in 2011 that proved that writing in a gratitude journal before bed made the subjects of the study sleep better.

“Writing in a gratitude journal improves sleep, according to a 2011 study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. Spend just 15 minutes jotting down a few grateful sentiments before bed, and you may sleep better and longer.”

5. Gratitude is a multiplier

I’ll let you in on a major secret, gratitude is a multiplier. If you want more, be grateful for what you have. Love it, nurture it and treat it with kindness, and more shall be added to you.

I know you probably don’t believe me. But I would dare you to try it for a while. Practice active gratitude perhaps in a journal or a jar and let’s see how it goes, I bet it blows your mind.

6. Gratitude improves self-esteem

The sixth reason why you should practice gratitude is that gratitude improves self-esteem.

A study done in 2014, published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, found that gratitude increased athletes’ self-esteem, an essential component of optimal performance.

Other studies have shown that gratitude reduces social comparisons. Rather than becoming resentful toward people who have more money or better jobs—a major factor in reduced self-esteem—grateful people can appreciate other people’s accomplishments.

7. Gratitude improves attitude

Gratitude definitely improves one’s attitude.

What is attitude? Attitude is how we think and feel about something. I don’t know how many of you have done that exercise where you add up all the values of the letters that make up the word attitude. Spoiler alert, it adds up to 100.

Why is relevant or important? Attitude determines so much of how we interact with the world every day, so if there is something that will make my attitude towards life in general A1, then sign me up.

Gratitude instills a positive disposition which over time just makes one have a great attitude towards life in general, this one is tried and tested by me.

8. Gratitude brings us closer to the source

The eighth reason why you should practice gratitude is that practicing gratitude brings one closer to the source.

On this, I shall speak only for myself. Practicing gratitude brings me closer to my source of all things which I believe is God.

I feel like being grateful brings me closer to God, it humbles and makes my heart big at the same time, it makes me grateful and reminds me of just how blessed I am. It allows me to see his majesty in my life. It makes me feel closer to God all the time.

9. Gratitude makes us live more deliberately

Something else I absolutely love about actively practicing gratitude is that it somehow makes me live more deliberately.

How so, I will have an amazing experience and later that day I will go back to it in my mind and I will be grateful for it and the next time something similar happens I will be so much more aware of it.

I will live At that moment and be aware of what an honor it is to be there, alive and well and whole and in good health and blessed, everything feels more, spending time with my family, spending time with my partner, a safe commute, everything is just more.

10. Gratitude improves our relationships

The final reason why you should practice gratitude is that it improves relationships.

Not only does saying “thank you” constitute good manners, but showing appreciation can help you win new friends, according to a 2014 study published in Emotion.

The study found that thanking a new acquaintance makes them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship. So whether you thank a stranger for holding the door or send a thank-you note to that colleague who helped you with a project, acknowledging other people’s contributions can lead to new opportunities.

Gratitude also helps us with the relationships we presently have. It shows the people we hold dear that we see everything they do for us and that we appreciate them for their efforts.

It allows our loved ones to feel seen and appreciated and encourages them to do more. Furthermore, it also reinforces the quality of the relationship, making it all-around happier.

I’m telling you, gratitude is magic. And I believe this with all my heart. Why? Because I have seen it all happen right before my eyes, I want you to give yourself a chance to experience the magic of gratitude.