An Attitude Of Gratitude: 3 Tips For Practicing Gratefulness

A UC Los Angeles study, concluded that the emotion of gratitude supports a positive and supportive attitude towards others and a feeling of relief from stressors.

According to The Harvard Medical School, “Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.” In a study by UC Berkeley, it was found that the benefits of gratitude can take time and may not be immediately seen. It was also found that practicing gratitude is also significantly beneficial for those impacted by mental health issues.

There are many ways to practice building a habit of gratitude into your daily routine. 

When you write about what you’re grateful for, it allows you to pause and consider why you’re expressing gratitude for a particular thing. It also allows you to focus your attention on those specific things to give you a renewed sense of appreciation for all that you have to be grateful for.

If you want to be grateful, you must regularly seek out good things, big and small that come into your life. Try to make an effort to notice something you’re grateful for within the first five minutes of waking up.

Being thankful for others has the power to profoundly change the way we go through life. When you’re constantly thankful for others, it fills your heart with joy and helps you live in a constant state of gratitude. You’ll discover that the practice of gratitude completely changes your relationships with people.

Keeping a blessings jar, to go through at the end of the month or year to see the many ways God has shown up! Note, I don’t put “I woke up” in the jar as I thank God each day for that gift! The jar can include a series of things such as a promotion at work, some form of unexpected financial aid, or unexpected quality time with a loved one.  There is always something to be grateful for and seen as a blessing!

The ability to be grateful for things even in the midst of difficult situations is what sets apart the most grateful people from everyone else. You must learn the fine art of seeing the rainbow through the clouds in every situation you encounter. This means seeking the good. To take action on this, grab a pen and paper and assess the situation with a quick set of questions: How do I feel? What is the lesson I can learn?