Why its important to practice Gratitude

"Today start your day with a smile, calmness of mind, the coolness of emotions,

and a heart filled with gratitude".

Count your blessings. Be thankful. The message about gratitude can be heard these days, loud and clear. Being thankful is such an important practice to hold onto in this fast-paced world in which we live…simply noticing the things we are thankful for.

However, it’s all well and good to know that gratitude ought to be a priority, but perhaps you are wondering about how to practice gratitude. Well, there is a vast number of ways in which to practically introduce more gratitude into our lives.

Although it may seem apparently straightforward, it is easier said than done to practice gratitude. So, what does it even mean to engage in ‘gratitude practice?“Gratitude practice is systematically paying attention to what is going right in one’s life, to see the contributions that others make in these good things, and then expressing gratitude verbally and behaviorally”.

Thus, in order to practice gratitude, the first step is to pay attention. This aspect of gratitude refers to ‘noticing and becoming aware of blessings that we normally take for granted’.Expressing gratitude is more than courtesy, manners, or being polite. ... When you thank someone, you're also practicing the first two gratitude skills: you've noticed something well, and you've genuinely appreciated it. Try this: Show your appreciation to someone who did something nice.

Practicing gratitude is all about making an intentional shift from the negative to the positive. Practicing gratitude sees a person accepting that even difficult, painful, and otherwise challenging times can be learned from and that we can therefore be grateful for such experience.

1. Gratitude allows us to celebrate the present. It magnifies positive emotions.

Research on emotion shows that positive emotions wear off quickly. Our emotional systems like newness. They like a novelty. They like to change. We adapt to positive life circumstances so that before too long, the new car, the new spouse, the new house—they don’t feel so new and exciting anymore. But gratitude makes us appreciate the value of something, and when we appreciate the value of something, we extract more benefits from it; we’re less likely to take it for granted.

In effect, I think gratitude allows us to participate more in life. We notice the positives more, and that magnifies the pleasures you get from life. Instead of adapting to goodness, we celebrate goodness. We spend so much time watching things—movies, computer screens, sports—but with gratitude, we become greater participants in our lives as opposed to spectators.

2.It improves the quality of your life. Your mental health and wellness, your emotional fortitude, spiritual aptitude, and your physical strength can all be derived from the simple and basic behavior of gratitude. Gratitude can change your life by quite literally improving the quality of it. You’re the sum of all your parts, and it’s gratitude that can help to benefit each of those small parts. It's no secret that people who are grateful for things are far more sated in their lives. There’s sound stability that exists when you can appreciate the importance of things in your life, no matter what shape, size, or form factor they might take on.

However, many people chalk this up to being successful. They think that it’s easy for successful people to be grateful because they have so much to be grateful for. Well, this isn’t about success, money, jobs, cars, houses, or anything else. Do these things help to improve the quality of your life? Sure. Maybe. But money can also mean more problems.

Gratitude isn’t about having lots of money; gratitude must prelude the attainment of large sums of money. When it doesn’t, people can go off the rails. There’s something called sudden wealth syndrome that can set in, and it’s easy to see why so many lottery winners and inheritance receives go bankrupt in a very short period after the windfall of cash arrives.

However, many people chalk this up to being successful. They think that it’s easy for successful people to be grateful because they have so much to be grateful for. Well, this isn’t about success, money, jobs, cars, houses, or anything else. Do these things help to improve the quality of your life? Sure. Maybe. But money can also mean more problems. Gratitude isn’t about having lots of money; gratitude must prelude the attainment of large sums of money. When it doesn’t, people can go off the rails. There’s something called sudden wealth syndrome that can set in, and it’s easy to see why so many lottery winners and inheritance receives go bankrupt in a very short period after the windfall of cash arrives.

3. Grateful people are more stress-resistant. There’s a number of studies showing that in the face of serious trauma, adversity, and suffering if people have a grateful disposition, they’ll recover more quickly. I believe gratitude gives people a perspective from which they can interpret negative life events and help them guard against post-traumatic stress and lasting anxiety.

4. Grateful people have a higher sense of self-worth. I think that’s because when you’re grateful, you have the sense that someone else is looking out for you—someone else has provided for your well-being, or you notice a network of relationships, past and present, of people who are responsible for helping you get to where you are right now.

5. Find gratitude in your challenges. It is not the case that gratitude is being thankful only for positive experiences. Actually, sometimes considering challenging situations with an open mind can help you to become aware of what you are truly thankful for. By being thankful even for negative or difficult situations, it is possible to appreciate how such challenges have helped you to develop into the person you are today!

6.Gratitude gives you peace of mind. There’s an inner belief that develops when you’re truly grateful for things. It provides a sound piece of mind, the kind that doesn’t exist when you live with the expectation of certain things. If you’ve ever noticed people who expect certain things out of life, or who attempt to bend the will of others for their personal advancement, you’ll find feeble-minded individuals who don’t get far.

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