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My childhood was completely influenced by others’ opinions of who I am and how I should be. As a people-pleaser, I agreed and followed them, knowing it was against who I was. After some time, I started complaining about everything. I started feeling terrible about everything and everyone. Then I reached a moment in life when I was disappointed. I saw nothing but gloom everywhere; there was no hope. That would have been the height of my negativity. At this point in my life, I see two possibilities: END it or START it again. Then I did everything to improve my life: prayers, rituals, meditation, etc. But I still wondered: How can I find positivity when everything seems hopeless? Because I was not doing the thing that is most important for a better life, i.e. GRATITUDE. The word GRATITUDE is derived from the Latin word Gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness.
What is gratitude?
Just saying ‘Thank you’ is being polite!! However, it is more than that. Gratitude is a gesture that expresses gratefulness towards everyone. It is the starting point of courtesy, generosity, concern, and appreciation towards others. “I learned that the more you’re grateful, the world will give you more chance to be grateful.”
Gratitude has two stages –
- First, comes acceptance of the goodness in one’s life. In this state of gratitude, we always say
yes to the life. We affirm that, overall, life is good and that it has elements that make it worth
living. Acknowledging that we have found something satisfies us both with its presence and
with the effort we put into choosing it. - Second, gratitude means recognizing that the sources of this goodness are outside of us. We
can be grateful to our Creator, other people, animals, and the world, but not to ourselves. At
this stage, we recognize the goodness in our lives and who we have to thank for it.
The connection between gratitude and positive psychology:
As we all know, positive psychology focuses on good thoughts and behaviours. It includes optimism, hope and gratitude. Positive emotions include engagement, relationships, significance, and accomplishment; gratitude is the most positive of these. This suggests that being more grateful can increase levels of well-being.
In a positive research study, happiness has a significant and continuous correlation with gratitude. Those who are grateful are better able to handle hardship, enjoy good times, feel happier, and have long-lasting relationships. People feel and express gratitude in various ways. They can apply it to the past, present, and future.
The importance of gratitude in life :
I have found that gratitude helps people focus on the positive aspects of their lives. Gratitude can help build and maintain relationships with others, resulting in hope, life satisfaction, and more proactive behaviour toward others. The effect of gratitude appears to be a domino effect.
What is the domino effect? : It means “the situation in which one event causes a series of related events, one after the other”. If a person experiences gratitude, they are more likely to recognize the help they provided and later reciprocate that help. People who are thanked are likely to be more willing to help others in the future. Similarly, people who are not thanked cannot be expected to express gratitude in return in the future. Expressing gratitude is beneficial to both the individual and society.
How to show gratitude :
Gratitude can be demonstrated in many ways. It can be shown with just a simple ‘thank you’ or it can be demonstrated with more elaborate exercises, such as the strategies described below. To improve your gratitude, consider how you can better express your gratitude to others. When you verbally express gratitude to someone, consider your feelings and the effort involved. Here are some examples:
- Dear Maa, I would like to sincerely thank you for everything that you have given up for our family. Your unconditional love and constant support have shaped the person I am today. Your affection and commitment have helped me get over every challenge. I will always be appreciative of everything you have done for me. Thank you Maa, I love you.
- Dear father, I wanted to express my gratitude for all that you have done for me thus far. It is a true blessing that you are my father. Thank you for always being there to guide and support me in every situation. Thank you for never pushing me toward a path you wanted. Rather, you guided me toward the one you believed was the best for me. I want to promise you that I will always be there for you — no matter how old or challenging you get. You truly inspire me. Thank you, Daddy, I love you.
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The importance of giving Thanks :
Giving thanks is a moment to reflect on the positive aspects of life. Instead of focusing on those who bring us trouble, we pay attention to those who bring us peace. Starting by appreciating those who bring us joy and focusing on the good things in each day.
Five reasons for giving thanks which is good for our health :
- Counting blessings improves your health. Emmons and McCullough discovered that appreciative persons had lower levels of despair and stress, lower blood pressure, more vitality, and higher optimism.
- Reduce the rate of ageing. Gratitude as a daily habit has also been shown to reduce some of the impacts of neurodegeneration, which is a common ageing process.
- Reduce the stress level. Cortisol is sometimes referred to as the “stress hormone,” and when our bodies create excessive amounts of it, the immune system is weakened and blood sugar elevated. Positive emotions like appreciation have been shown to considerably lower cortisol levels, according to a study done at the Institute of HeartMath Research Center in California.
- Expressing gratitude strengthens relationships. Gratitude can also lead to improved relationships. Increased oxytocin production, commonly referred to as the “bonding hormone” since it promotes stability and security in relationships, could be the reason for the explanation.
- Beneficial for the heart and waistline? People with high blood pressure who regularly show gratitude “can achieve up to a 10 % reduction in systolic blood pressure and decrease their dietary fat intake by up to 20 %,” according to research.
Benefits of keeping a gratitude Journal :
One of the most popular gratitude activities is keeping a daily gratitude journal. You can choose to write down a few things for which you are grateful on a daily or weekly basis by keeping a gratitude journal. A great starting point for practising thankfulness is to keep a gratitude journal, which will assist you in recognizing and thinking back on the things, people or occasions for which you are grateful. You don’t need to spend hours every day on this activity – 5 to 10 minutes is enough – still, it needs regular practice. Only then you will be able to reach your goal – less negativity and more happiness in your life.
A Take-Home Message:
Someone can have everything but still feel as if they have nothing. Someone can have nothing and yet be satisfied with what they have. Recognizing gratitude for qualities like health and relationships is a good start. As we have shown in this article, gratitude has numerous benefits for both individuals and society, and it has strong roots in positive psychology. There are several ways to express your gratitude. Expressing gratitude is important, no matter how you go about it. Furthermore, you can express your gratitude at any time of the year. The secret to a happy life is gratitude, which should be continuously and consistently practised.
