The Importance of Gratitude
THE IMPORTANCE OF GRATITUDE
I was chatting to my daughter about gratitude the other day and then I remembered one of my favorite films ‘Pay it Forward’. The film is about a young boy who partakes in random acts of kindness to change the world for the better. We decided that we would focus on this and chat about what we’ve done each day.
Gratitude is an important part of our every day life and we express thanks to family, friends and colleagues in various ways. It encourages us to appreciate what we have in our life and to pay them forward. To sociologist Georg Simmel gratitude is the ‘moral memory of mankind’.
Benefits
Experiencing and expressing gratitude is an important part of our daily lives. It opens the heart and activates the positive emotion centres of the brain. Regular practice of gratitude can change the way our brain neurons fire into more positive and automatic patterns…..Gratitude is an emotion of connectedness and this reminds us we are part of a larger universe.
Dr Robert Emmons (researcher and writer on gratitude, University of California) has discovered how gratitude gives life meaning. However he says it is a ‘chosen attitude’ which needs to be cultivated which can take effort. He says ‘Without gratitude, life can be lonely, depressing and impoverished…Gratitude enriches human life. It elevates, energizes, inspires and transforms. People are moved, opened and humbled through expressions of gratitude.’ With eight years of research on this topic he has found gratitude:
Improves physical health such as a stronger immune system
Strengthens relationships and communities
Improves your energy levels and overall health
Is beneficial to emotional wellbeing, feeling more joy, optimism, happiness and other positive emotions
Reduces anxiety and depression
Helps you cope better in a tragedy or crisis
Improves sleep
Makes us ‘pay it forward’ as grateful people are more helpful, altruistic and compassionate.
You are now focusing on those things you are appreciative of and less on those you are not. This alone can improve your quality of life.
Quotes
I have copied some of my favorite quotes below that I hope will inspire you to use gratitude more in your lives.
“When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears”
Anthony Robbins
“Take just a few minutes each day to jot down things that make you thankful… you will feel better about yourself, have more energy and feel more alert.”
Psychology Today
“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was ‘thank you’, that would suffice.”
Meister Eckhart
“Gratitude in advance is the most powerful creative force in the universe.”
Neal Donald Walsch
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
Albert Einstein
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
Oprah Winfrey
A few ideas on how to cultivate gratitude
Feeling grateful is a skill we can develop with practice even if you feel you are more of a ‘glass half full’ person. Here are some of the most effective ways to begin bringing gratitude into your life but be creative and come up with your own.
Write a gratitude diary. You can post pictures and write about the things you feel grateful for each day. Bring your writing to life as you go and enjoy the feelings that arise. You can get a diary specifically for this purpose and get into a daily practice first thing in the morning or when you go to bed. Remember these times are powerful to help reprogram you mind.
You can deliberately visualise or meditate on all the things in your own life that help you or give you pleasure.
Write a ‘thank you letter’ to someone important in your life who you’ve never properly thanked.
Gratitude can lead to feelings of love, appreciation, generosity, and compassion, which further open our hearts and help rewire our brains to fire in more positive ways.
Staying positive when life doesn’t feel so good can be a challenge. These are the times to appreciate support from family and friends and all those things that have gone well. It might also be time to make some changes in your life to get back on track. Often this can be done on your own but if you feel you need some support with Hypnotherapy or Reiki please email me. You can have a look at my website or some testimonials for further information.
So, how are you going to express your thanks to yourself and others today?
With Love & Gratitude
Karen
P.s. a few things I am grateful for right now…
I feel grateful for my safe home.
I am grateful for my comfy bed.
I am grateful for the wonderful friends in my life.
I am grateful for my family (well most of them;))
I am grateful for having a healthy, tasty meal cooked for me tonight.
I am grateful to having so many fabulous clients.
I am grateful that I have managed to get on and write this post!