We live in a technological world, where speed and efficiency are often associated with success and progress. This can sometimes make it difficult to stop and notice everyday things that we take for granted – such as a sunrise, the air we breathe, our friends and family, and having somewhere warm to sleep.
But when life gets tough, identifying and appreciating the positives in our lives can be particularly helpful. Gratitude has the potential to make our worst days feel more positive, and our good days feel even greater, which is why it’s such a powerful tool to carry throughout life. We can nearly always find something to feel grateful about in our day, if we just stop and look a little bit closer.
Gratitude can be learnt and developed at any age – it just takes a bit of practise. Here, we’ll discuss what gratitude is, its benefits, and ways to practise it every day.
What is gratitude?
Gratitude – or being thankful for what we have – is a form of optimism that helps us to feel happier and more fulfilled. Someone who exercises gratitude will typically see their glass as half full, rather than half empty. It’s about training your mind to be thankful for the little things we have, rather than focusing on what’s missing.
For instance, you might be struggling financially, but still feel lucky to have good health and a loving family who’ll help support you during tough times. Or, perhaps you had a terrible night’s sleep, but are grateful for the beautiful sunrise you saw from your window.
What are the benefits of practising gratitude?
Life is full of ups and downs. However, our lows can often feel less steep if we’re able to remember the things or people in our lives that we’re grateful for.
Some of the benefits of practising gratitude include…
Gratitude can strengthen relationships
Gratitude can make you more appreciative of the people in your life.
When we take time to thank others or to show how much we value them, our relationships will often go from strength to strength.
Gratitude can lead to greater job satisfaction
Workplace satisfaction can often be increased by finding things that you’re grateful for.
Perhaps you love what you do and are grateful to be able to make a living doing it. Or, maybe you aren’t so keen on the actual work you do, but are grateful for some of the things that come with it – like a short commute, good relationships with your colleagues, or a wage that allows you to live the life you want outside of work.
Gratitude can promote better sleep
Research has found a connection between gratitude and sleep.
This study found that when a group of people spent three weeks writing down what they were grateful for before bed, they reported having longer, more refreshing sleep.
Gratitude can increase resilience
Gratitude involves reframing how we look at and think about things. It’s about identifying and feeling grateful for small positives in our lives, even when things get tough.
Doing this can make us more resilient to whatever life throws at us because we’ll always be able to extract the positives and use them to see a way forward.
Gratitude can help to reduce stress and anxiety
Research shows that gratitude can help to curb stress and anxiety as positive thoughts and emotions trigger the calming part of the nervous system.
This has numerous positive effects on the body – such as less stress and higher levels of oxytocin (the happy hormone).
Gratitude can lead to fewer aches and pains
This study found that people who expressed gratitude had fewer aches and pains than those who didn’t.
They were also more likely to exercise regularly and attend health check-ups.
Gratitude can boost confidence and self-esteem
According to this study, gratitude can enhance athletes’ self-esteem and help them reach their full potential.
Research has also found that people who practise gratitude are less likely to compare themselves to others. Rather than feeling jealous or resentful of others, they can instead appreciate and admire their achievements.
To learn more, check out our article; 16 ways to improve your confidence and self-esteem.
Reasons that we might struggle to practise gratitude
We can lose sight of gratitude and find it difficult to be thankful for all the small things in life for various reasons. For example…
Social media
Social media makes it much easier for us to spend time comparing ourselves to others and feeling as though our own lives don’t measure up.
It can also make it easy to search for validation from others, rather than focusing internally on what we are grateful for in our everyday lives.
Technology
There’s always a new device being advertised that promises to make our lives easier and better – but if we can’t afford these things, we may end up feeling as though we’re missing out.
Busy day-to-day lives
Nowadays, slowing down enough to appreciate small victories can be a challenge. This is largely because it’s easy to get swept along in a culture of speed and productivity, where we might focus our time and energy on where we want to get to, rather than stopping to smell the roses along the way.
While it’s healthy and important to have goals and ambitions, if we don’t celebrate our achievements and try to enjoy the journey, we’ll often be left feeling dissatisfied, rather than grateful.
Comfort zones
We can become very comfortable in our routines – so much so that we go into autopilot mode and stop thinking about, enjoying, or appreciating the things or people in our day.
Difficult times
You might find yourself in a difficult situation (perhaps going through a break-up, the loss of a loved one, or being made redundant) and feel as though the world is against you. When we feel like this it can make it much trickier to identify other things in our lives that we’re grateful for.
9 ways to practise gratitude and lead a happier life
Even if you aren’t feeling particularly grateful at the moment, the good thing is that gratitude is something that can be developed with regular practise.
The following nine exercises can be a helpful place to start…
1. Keep a gratitude journal
One of the most helpful habits that can help you identify the things or people in your life that you’re most grateful for is to keep a gratitude journal. This involves writing down a set number of things each day that you feel grateful for. These could be as simple as your morning coffee or a nice view, or more meaningful like having a loving family.
Some people find it helpful to journal either first thing in the morning (because it sets them up for the day) or last thing at night (because it sends them to sleep feeling more positive).
For maximum benefits, try to write at least three things you’re grateful for – even if they seem small.
You might find it challenging and even a little uncomfortable at first, but the more you do it, the quicker and more natural it’ll become. It’s amazing how many things we can find to be grateful for when we really think about it.
If you’re new to journaling, you might find it useful to read our article; The power of journaling as a life habit.
2. Be empathetic
Empathy allows us to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and consider how it might feel to be in their situation. Often, when we do this, we develop a greater appreciation for the good things we have in our own lives. We all have battles in life, but there’ll always be someone out there going through something more difficult.
Some of the best ways to be empathetic towards others are to be kind, to show understanding, and to treat others how you’d like them to treat you. Plus, expressing kindness has the potential to make someone’s day, while helping you feel more connected to the people around you.
3. See each day as a gift
"This is a wonderful day. I've never seen this one before."
Life is precious, though when we don’t appreciate the good things in our lives it can be easy to forget. A helpful way to start appreciating life more is to try and see every day as a gift and an opportunity for a new start.
Start by asking yourself questions such as: “How could I make a positive impact today?”, “How would I spend today if it was my last day?”, and “What would I miss most if I didn’t have it anymore?” Questions like these can help to identify what’s important to you.
Some people say that it took something dramatic to happen in their lives, such as an illness, an accident, or the loss of a loved one, to make them feel more appreciative of every day. But we shouldn’t have to wait until something like this happens to start making the most of our time and celebrating the little things that we might otherwise overlook.
4. Write someone a thank you letter
"The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated."
Writing a letter is a great way to express gratitude to someone that you’re thankful for. This could be a friend, partner, family member, neighbour, doctor – or even someone you’ve never met before who’s made a difference to your life.
Writing a letter has the potential to make someone smile and feel good about themselves, while also making you feel happy too. Research has found that showing appreciation for others can strengthen relationships and satisfy the human desire for attachment.
You could also write a letter to someone who has hurt you in the past to help let go of any negative feelings and to reflect on what you learned from the situation. Perhaps it was difficult at first, but you feel stronger now and are better equipped to deal with similar situations should they occur in the future.
It’s up to you whether you decide to send this letter or not, but even just the process of writing it can act as an effective healing exercise.
5. Remember to thank yourself too
As well as being thankful for what other people have done for you, it’s also important to take time to thank yourself as well – whether this is for cooking yourself healthy meals, making time to exercise, or giving yourself permission to rest. This can help to strengthen the relationship you have with yourself and feel appreciative of all you do.
Writing your thanks down in a journal or saying it out loud can often be more affirming than thinking it in your head, so why not give it a go?
6. Enjoy nature
"The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows, spectacular skies, and serene lakes. It has enough lush forests, flowered fields, and sandy beaches. It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day. What the world needs more of is people to appreciate and enjoy it."
In today’s world, there are so many distractions that it can be easy to overlook nature’s beauty. Whether it’s the sound of birdsong, beautiful sunsets, or centuries-old trees, there’s beauty all around us.
One of the best ways to practise gratitude is to take some time to go outside and appreciate your natural surroundings. This can help us to feel part of something bigger, feel less alone, and appreciate the natural world and our place in it.
If you’re looking for ways to interact with nature, you might find it helpful to check out our articles; 32 ways to connect with nature and feel inspired and 6 skilled activities you can learn outdoors.
7. Celebrate the achievements of others
"The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement."
Appreciating and celebrating the achievements of others can help to avoid falling into the trap of making self-comparisons. Each of us is on our own journey, so the only person that’s ever worth comparing yourself to is you.
Letting go of self-comparisons can be incredibly liberating and help us to feel at peace with ourselves. It can make feeling grateful for our own achievements and everything we already have so much easier.
Reframing your thinking in this way usually starts with challenging negative thoughts as they arise. So, next time you go to put yourself down because you haven’t achieved the same goal as someone else, try to acknowledge this and replace it with a new thought instead.
For example, instead of thinking, “They’ve got an amazing new job. Why haven’t I been able to get a new job yet? There must be something wrong with me.”, you could replace it with, “I’m really proud of them. I know they’ve had a tough time recently so it’s great that they’ve finally caught a break. If they can do it, so can I!”
It’s important to remember that other’s achievements take nothing away from yours. Your accomplishments (no matter how big or small) are just as noteworthy as someone else’s.
8. Be mindful
The speed at which we live our lives can impact how grateful we feel for the things in it. It’s difficult to cherish things if you’re always rushing past them. For instance, did you really enjoy the tastes, smells, and textures of your dinner? Or did you not really pay much attention because you were thinking about something else at the same time?
In 2020, we interviewed journalist and modern philosopher Carl Honore, who believes that the key to living a happier, more fulfilled life is to slow down and live at a more mindful pace. Carl encourages people to live in the moment by disconnecting from technology, practising meditation, and saying no to invitations that you don’t have time for. You can read the full interview with Carl here.
Our introductory guide to mindfulness is also worth a read. Or, why not sign up for a mindfulness meditation on Rest Less Events?
9. Start and end your day with gratitude
What you do first thing in the morning and last thing at night can have a significant impact on how you feel during the day.
If we go to bed feeling positive, we’ll often wake up feeling positive – which can help to carry us through the day with a more optimistic mindset.
How you choose to start and end your day with gratitude is up to you. You might want to send a quick text to someone to remind them they’re appreciated, note down what went right in your day in your journal, or let someone know just how special they are to you.
Final thoughts…
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”
Life can be messy, complicated, and unpredictable – but it can also be full of love, laughter, and wonderful surprises. While it’s difficult to predict what’s around every corner, we can control how we choose to look at our lives.
By embracing the little things, we have the power to see every day as a blessing and find joy in the darkest of times.
For further reading, head over to the healthy mind section of our website. Here, you’ll find articles like How to learn the skill of optimism and How to thrive through change. Alternatively, you might like to join the Feel Good Club on Rest Less Events. Members come together to share feel-good moments in their lives and spread positivity.
What are you grateful for in your life? Do you take time out of your day to practise gratitude? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.