“Enjoy the little things. For one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
-Robert Brault
In its simplest form, gratitude refers to a state of thankfulness or a state of being grateful.
Gratitude in all forms is associated with happiness. Whether we say ‘thank you’ to someone or receive the same from others, the feeling it brings is that of pure satisfaction and encouragement. Expressions of gratitude help in building and sustaining long term relationships, deal with adversities and bounce back from them with strength and motivation.
Gratitude is a powerful human emotion. By conveying and receiving simple ‘thank you’ messages, we can truly derive the pleasure that we seek everywhere else.
Gratitude and appreciation are core positive psychology practices that have been shown to boost physical, mental, and emotional health.
Building daily gratitude habits and communicating more appreciation toward others are also some of the simplest ways to gradually shift to a more positive mindset and experience the joys of life more deeply.
Indeed, many studies over the past decade have found that people who consciously count their blessings tend to be happier and less depressed.
Gratitude unshackles us from toxic emotions and has lasting effects on the brain.
When people feel more grateful, their brain activity is distinct from brain activity related to guilt and the desire to help a cause. More specifically, we find that when people who are generally more grateful showed greater neural sensitivity in the medial prefrontal cortex, a brain area associated with learning and decision-making. This suggests that more grateful people are also more attentive to how they express gratitude.
The effects of gratitude, when practiced daily can be almost the same as medications. It produces a feeling of long-lasting happiness and contentment, the physiological basis of which lies at the neurotransmitter level.
When we express gratitude and receive the same, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, and they make us feel ‘good’. They enhance our mood immediately, making us feel happy from the inside.
By consciously practicing gratitude every day, we can help these neural pathways to strengthen themselves and ultimately create a permanent grateful and positive nature within ourselves.
How can we create new gratitude habits?
Daily Gratitude Check-In (perhaps using a journal)
Increase awareness of Complaining vs. Gratitude
Three Good Things at the end of the Day
Gratitude through Service to others
Daily Gratitude Meditations
Gratitude Letter/Text to someone in our life
It is not happiness that brings us gratitude. It is gratitude that brings us happiness.
I am truly grateful for all of you and this very special Sanara community.
With much love,
Allison
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