Understanding and Practicing Gratitude

In the days leading up to the new year, many of us turn our thoughts to making a few key changes in our lives. Maybe we aspire to take better care of ourselves, eat a healthier diet, and get more exercise to enhance or improve our lives through making changes in our routines or imposing strict rules on ourselves. While ambitious diet, exercise, or other lifestyle changes often set even the most determined individuals up for a difficult challenge, there is a little-known life-enhancing strategy—or lifestyle hack—that can positively impact our relationships, our mental and physical health, and the way we think about and treat ourselves. This powerful strategy is none other than gratitude.

What gratitude is

“When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” These words from British social philosopher and writer G. K. Chesterton embody the message of the importance and power of gratitude. Gratitude is more than a passing trend or a means of glossing over our very real-life struggles and challenges. It is a conscious act of cultivating awareness of the good things in life, expressing this gratitude to others, and creating daily practices that reinforce these positive observations and actions. These efforts result in tremendous benefits for the individual who practices gratitude.

The science and benefits of gratitude

Numerous scientific studies offer overwhelming evidence that gratitude that one of the most powerful and life-enhancing tools we can use to improve our relationships and our physical health in many ways, including stress reduction and improved sleep, heart health, and immune system functioning. The mental health benefits of gratitude include improved self-esteem, lower levels of depression and anxiety, and improved interpersonal relationships.

The good news

Here’s the good news. Integrating a gratitude practice into your life is not a difficult or burdensome task. Here are a few simple steps to help get you started:

• Tune in to the good things in your life. Set an intention to bring an awareness to the good things in your life now, in the present. Pay attention to what you have and the people who support you and walk with you through your life each day.
• Start a daily gratitude file. At the end of each day, take a moment to reflect on something good in your day. Write it down, in a journal, on a list, or in a file on your electronic device. Even on a bad day, a great cup of coffee, or that moment when the sun’s rays break through the clouds, brings a moment of joy. Find the good in your day at the day’s end. Write it down.
• Press pause on negative thoughts. Bring awareness to negative self-talk, ruminations, and forecasting of worst-case scenarios. Challenge the veracity of your negative thoughts. Replace negative thoughts, like "I’m not capable" or "I don’t have the skills to do this" with more positive and adaptive ones, like "If there’s something I can’t do, I can ask for help or find resources to expand my skill set." Reframe the challenges in your life into opportunities to learn and grow.
• Pause and reflect throughout the day. Connect through your senses to the beauty of your surroundings. Connecting via our senses takes us out of our heads and into the moment, the present. It is when we are truly present that we can truly appreciate, rather than take for granted, our surroundings.
• Express your gratitude to others. Say thanks. Write a thank you note. Call a friend and thank them for their kindness. When someone does something well—especially when you benefit from their actions—thank them and let them know that their skills and efforts are appreciated. Express your gratitude to your friend for listening to your worries or extending a much-needed invitation.
• Pay it forward. Start a ripple effect of kindness, even in a small way. Let that car merge into your lane. Offer your seat on public transit to someone who needs it more than you do. Help someone who is struggling with a task. Express your appreciation for a job well done. Thank someone whose "job" it is to serve you.
• Reconnect with the positive things in your life. When you are struggling, feeling unsure of yourself, or feeling sorry for yourself, make use of your gratitude log. Tune into your ability to recognize and acknowledge the good things in your day and in your life.
• Pay attention to the positive effects of gratitude in your life. Bring awareness to the positive impacts of your gratitude practice and how gratitude has contributed to reinforcing positive thoughts and emotions. This awareness will serve you well, by strengthening your resolve to find the good amongst the bad during challenging times and help you maintain a positive mindset, no matter what.