The Benefits of Gratitude

There is abundant research on the positive benefits of gratitude on our overall health.

Making Gratitude a Daily Practice

A daily practice of gratitude keeps the heart open. Some people keep a gratitude journal. It is suggested that before bed to scan your day and look for the blessings that came your way, remembering even simple things like a warm bed, a sip of coffee, a good conversation with a friend. Another way to practice gratitude is to share your gratitude with others.

Expressing gratitude spreads goodwill, deepens relationships and is a great way to honour the people you know who add blessings to your life.  Some examples are, writing a note to thank a friend for the support they give to you. Bringing flowers to someone in appreciation for something they did for you. Thanking your doctors for taking the extra time to explain things clearly to you. Praising your child for being thoughtful of others. Thanking a co-worker for something they did that helped you do a better job. Acknowledging when people go out of their way to do something nice for you or others.

These positive actions help make others feel good and helps people to remember how good it feels to express gratitude and to receive the gratitude of others.

Expressing gratitude spreads goodwill, deepens relationships and is a great way to honour the people you know who add blessings to your life.

Expressing Gratitude can also be a Spiritual Practice

Gratitude can also be a spiritual practice, says Angeles Arrien, who wrote the book, “Living in Gratitude”. In the book she outlines what we can do each month to express our gratitude to the earth and for the blessings that come our way.  

Many of us in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving in November to deepen our experience of gratitude and thankfulness and to share a meal with those around us.  During the Fall, we celebrate the abundance in our life as all of nature comes to fruition at this time of year.  Just as the trees are shedding their leaves, November is the time of the year to let go of what is no longer needed.  

Various cultures have ancient traditions for expressing gratitude. For example, the Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest have feasts called potlatches to give gifts of food and do traditional dances as a way to give thanks.  The Chinese have a tradition of giving away 27 items for nine days, to clear out space for new energy and teach us about non-attachment.

What Keeps Us from Feeling Gratitude?

Psychologist Rick Hanson, PhD, says…..

Humans tend to focus on the negative as a matter of course – our brains are “Velcro for the negative and Teflon for the positive” because of how the brain developed over eons for survival. So humans tend focus on losses a bit too much, and overlook the good.

We should be mindful of our internal blocks to gratitude. Some examples:

• Others are suffering, I don’t deserve to take pleasure in what I have.

• I’m suffering and others have it better than me.

• If I’m grateful, I’m ignoring my problems.

• We often have a tendency to minimize things that are going well.

• I feel unappreciated, no one notices what I do for them. I want recognition but I don’t get it.  I don’t even give myself credit.

Mental Health Benefits of Gratitude

There is abundant research on the positive benefits of gratitude on our mental health.

The abundant research on the positive benefits of gratitude on our mental health indicate that gratitude helps us in many areas of our lives. Examples include:

• Recover from loss and trauma

• Focus on the good now that you have now in your life, not what you may have in some distant future

• Feel more abundant

• Cope with pain

• Be more optimistic, happy and increases self-worth while experiencing less envy, anxiety and depression

• Develop greater resilience, compassion, generosity and forgiveness

• Create stronger relationships and less loneliness

• Sleep better

Takeaways on Gratitude

Give yourself permission to experience wholesome pleasures in your life and be grateful without feeling guilty. Be happy about the success and happiness of others as well. Wish others well in their jobs, businesses, relationships and in life. Encourage others in positive ways to practice gratitude, so that they may experience the many benefits of gratitude too.

Be sure to try one of our gratitude meditations to help cultivate more gratitude.
Visit our Gratitude Compilation page to learn more about the benefits of gratitude.