How Practising Gratitude Can Change Your Life!!!
Gratitude is essential to our health and mental wellbeing. Though you may not know it, being grateful for the little things in life can have a massive effect on your health and happiness.
I wonβt lie- Itβs not always easy feeling grateful, especially when you feel a burden or weight on your shoulders that seems never ending. Our daily lives are so filled with stress and anxiety that it seems impossible to list what we are thankful and grateful for.
But I can assure you, that no matter what position you are in your life currently, whether youβre having your biggest high or experiencing your lowest low, gratitude only brings you higher!
For me, gratitude has been something that has really helped me through dark times. For the past 2 or so years, Iβve started every morning by writing down the things that Iβm grateful for, and things that have made me happy. Doing this brings me closer to myself, and allows me to be a happier and more positive person.
Though you could argue that you ARE grateful for things such as your family, friends, health and food e.t.c, many of us really donβt stop to think about how blessed we are.
Spending a few minutes each day on gratitude can really boost your mental health and can strengthen your connection to Earth and the people around you.
In this post, Iβm going to be telling you everything you need to know about gratitude!
Hope you enjoy!
What Is Gratitude? :
Gratitude is the act of thankfulness and being thankful; as well as showing appreciation and kindness towards a person, place or thing! It is about acknowledging, accepting and thanking for the good and bad things that happen to you.
Why Should You Practise Gratitude? :
Overall, practising gratitude makes you a happier person. It boosts your levels of thankfulness and appreciation, but also allows you to see the world in a new perspective; one where you realise how lucky you are to be in the position you are currently in.
This is proven in countless studies and proves that gratitude gives people stronger positive emotions which benefit every aspect of life!
How Do You Practise Gratitude? :
Though I am going to be going into much further detail in another upcoming blog post about how to practise gratitude, practising gratitude can be completed in any way that suits you.
As long as you are finding an appreciation for the things you love in life, that's all that matters. Gratitude can be verbal, written or internally expressed.
Try to practice gratitude as often as you can, ideally every day at multiple points. You can express gratitude in bed, on the bus on the way to school, at lunch breaks or just before you go to sleep.
How Does Gratitude Change You? :
As children, we are born to have a mindset of lack. This often continues into our teens years and adulthood. A mindset of βlackβ means that we are programmed to want more than what we already have. We feel envious of others with a bigger house, more money or better opportunities.
The truth is, we are humans, and these feelings are real, we feel them. However, these sorts of emotions often lead to jealousy and toxicity, which is where gratitude comes into play.
By learning gratitude, we learn to appreciate ourselves and our lives for what we have, rather than what we donβt. We feel grateful for our health, our body functions and our opportunities, because we realise how lucky we are compared to so many others.
Once you get the hang of gratitude, these sorts of negative emotions go away, leaving you happy, positive and grateful!
What If I Donβt Feel It? :
Everyone has a bad day every once in a while.
Itβs inevitable. Weβre human. We have emotions.
Sometimes we feel tired, anxious, stressed, angry, and still put pressure on ourselves to be grateful. It is super important to make sure you do not put pressure on yourself to be grateful or happy every moment of every day.
Forcing these feelings gets you nowhere and has never helped anyone. This doesnβt mean stop practising gratitude, just accept your feelings and emotions in that moment.
How To Start Your Day With Gratitude:
To start off your day on a good note using gratitude, there are 2 options that I recommend trying.
Practise Gratitude First Thing In The Morning!
By starting your day with gratitude, you begin your day on a good note, where you are appreciating the world and people around you.
Set Your Intentions The Night Before!
By setting your intentions the night before, you allow yourself to give thanks before an event happens, especially if you wake up tired or late, you can express your gratitude anyway!
For example you might say - Iβm grateful for the opportunity to go to school tomorrow. Iβm grateful for getting picked up from school tomorrow. You get the point!
A List Of Things We Should Be Grateful For (But Sometimes Forget!):
Running water
Clothes
A roof over our heads
A bed to sleep in
Clean air
The sky
Education
Electricity
Food to eat
A family
The sunset
Technology
The weekend
Pets
Laughter
Waking up
Internet connection (know that feeling when the internet goes down)
Remember! You can be grateful for anything!
The Bottom Line:
Applying gratitude to your life is an extreme life-changer and so beneficial to your health and wellbeing!
Though you may not know it now, being constantly consciously grateful for the things in your life really benefit your mental and physical health, as well as help you realise how much the people, food and objects in your life affect it!
Whether you write down a few things youβre grateful for every morning, or write a long diary about it each day, even the smallest things applied to your life can have the biggest effects!
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE THROUGH GRATITUDE?! I WANNA KNOW!
Donβt forget to comment, share, and like this post!
Hi, Iβm Mia!
Teen dream celebrates, supports and connects young women of all shapes, sizes, ages, races and beliefs. Our website is dedicated to helping young women find balance in life, become organised, stayβ¦
CHECK OUT MY INSTAGRAM!!!
