A grateful heart opens, expands & knows no limits
Did you know that gratitude can have a magical impact on your life? Well, I’m here to tell you IT CAN! The simple act of appreciating what you already have, rather than focusing on what’s missing, can be life-altering. Loving on what you have creates space in your life for letting go of negativity and enhances positive feelings, in turn, making you feel happier.
Face it, we live in a world of stress and struggle. Depression and anxiety are rampant. It seems we mostly just long for a simple rest from the chaos. So many people wake up in the mornings and rush to get dressed, jump in the car, sit in traffic and work all day. Then they sit in traffic and get home in time to have some dinner, watch a little news and go to bed. Finally, they wake up and do it all over again. And Again. And again. So many people feel like they’re on the hamster wheel of life just trying to get ahead… or for some of us just barely keeping our heads above water.
While there is no magic bullet to get you out of your commute or your day job there are some coping tools you can use to make the process feel a little easier. A way to infuse a little happiness into the drudgery. And it starts with not noticing your routines as drudgery after all. Shifting your mindset can take practice and patience. It requires that you take an active role in noticing your thoughts and practice replacing negative thoughts with softer, gentler thoughts.
In other words, search for a better feeling thought…
I first got the idea to start a gratitude journal from Oprah Winfrey. I loved watching Oprah in the afternoons when she still had her TV show. One day she was talking about her own practice of gratitude and how it had transformed her life. Her reasons for writing down what she’s grateful for in a journal seemed pretty compelling to me. It had to do with feeling more alive and receptive to the goodness that comes into your life. About how going through your day thinking about what you will write in your gratitude journal keeps you thinking about the good things that are giving you a life of abundance.
It’s a simple exercise, taking only a few minutes and the results are truly life-transforming. I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal for many years now. After a while, my life felt more in tune, lined up and good. Externally nothing had really changed for me, but in a way, everything had changed. Everything just felt better. I developed more compassion and had a sense of calm surrounding me as I went about my days.
So what is this all about? Well, researchers decided to find out. In two studies on college students, it was found that overall gratitude seemed to directly enhance social support and protect people from stress and depression. (1)
A research study was done by Chih-Che Lin of Ming Chuan University. The findings showed when gratitude was practiced consistently it induced positive emotions that expanded into more positive emotions and resulted in an overall increase in emotional well-being. By practicing gratitude on a regular, consistent basis and truly embodying a mindful practice you can reap its many benefits, including positive impacts on psychological well-being, self-esteem, and depression. (2) It also stands to reason that when we are truly grateful for what we have there leaves little room for feelings of envy.
In a study done by Krysinska, Lester, Lyke, & Corveleyn on 165 college students it was shown that along with social support, coping skills, and reasons for living there was a decrease in thoughts of suicide. Gratitude may protect against suicide ideation and suicidal behavior. (3) Gratitude journaling can be effective at lessening feelings of depression and hopelessness that can lead to suicidal thoughts.
6 Benefits of Practicing Gratitude
Grateful people are simply happier by nature and people like being around happy people. They are seen as more trustworthy and because of this grateful people tend to have larger social networks and better relationships. Expressing our gratitude to our friends and loved ones creates better relationships and enables us to work through our problems better.
Romantic relationships are improved as well. Being appreciative of our partners makes them feel better and makes us feel better, enhancing a trusting and loving environment. Likewise with our kids. Being a gratitude role model creates grateful children which helps them to navigate the anxiety and fears associated with the drama in their lives that comes from school or difficult times in the family. I am grateful that I discovered my gratitude practice when my kids were young. It made me a better more patient mother. I taught them to be grateful. Consequently, they have grown into kind, loving, and gracious young adults today.
A study was done in 2008 in Warwick by Wood, Maltby, Gillett, Linley, & Joseph to determine the effects of gratitude on perceived social support, stress, and depression during a life transition. Findings showed that there were higher levels of perceived social support, and lower levels of stress and depression in the subjects that practiced gratitude. (4)
Being mindful of appreciating what we already have makes us much less likely to fixate on what may be missing in our lives. It also keeps us from being self-centered and increases overall satisfaction with our lives. Grateful people tend to be more giving and generous with others. This fosters happiness in the giver and the receiver.
Gratitude journaling increases optimism. A study was done by Lashani, Shaeiri, Asghari-Moghadam, & Golzari in 2012 determined that with the practice of gratitude among the subject group there was a significant increase in positive affectivity, happiness and optimism. (5)
Much like meditation gratitude practice can evoke a sense of calm, in turn, lowering stress, improving sleep and has been shown to decrease diastolic blood pressure. (6) Taking a few moments before bed each night to write down the good things about your day can help you to relax and sleep sounder all night.
Grateful people tend to be healthier overall. This is due to making better choices with nutritional needs in their diets. There is also a tendency towards more regular exercise and other mindful practices. Psychological health and physical health tend to go hand in hand.
Many people spend the majority of their days in the workplace. It can often feel like drudgery if the work we do is not our true calling. When we count our blessings and focus on the positive even with our jobs, that job feels less like something to get through and more like an opportunity to serve. Being that gratitude makes us more pleasant to be around, we find that magically our bosses and co-workers are seeming to be more pleasant to be around as well. Gratitude also helps us to find more meaning in our work. There’s more ease in the decision-making process and an increase in our ability to apply our strengths in the workplace.
I hope you will start your gratitude journaling today. You surely won’t be sorry you did. For me, it was and still is magic. An ongoing journey to be sure. It has transformed my life and the lives of all those around me. I couldn’t be more grateful.
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