The Power Of Gratitude: How Does It Benefit Us In Our Lives?
The power of gratitude is incredible, despite being ignored by almost everyone. A simple “thank you” can provide powerful energy, a force that motivates us to live better and happier and also to do more things for others.
This energy is difficult to describe in a few sentences, so We are going to talk at length about what the power of gratitude is inviting you to practice it more often.
Many of us ignore it, but the power of gratitude is almost infinite and very intense. Being grateful, both by giving thanks when someone does something good for us and by valuing all the things we have in our lives, no matter how small and insignificant they may seem, brings many benefits.
Gratitude should become more important, and even more so now that we live in a world in which human relationships are becoming more informal but colder. There are many gestures that are undervalued despite meaning so much…
But what is gratitude? In its most academic definition, typical of a dictionary, we understand gratitude as that feeling that forces us to appreciate the favor that has been done to us by the good treatment we have received, so that we recognize and reciprocate this attitude. In a simpler way, we can say that it is an emotion we feel when we are grateful for something or someone who has benefited us. Gratitude is felt when our existence has been improved, and we want to return the favor
But it is not necessary that they have done something significant to us. We don’t have to feel gratitude only for powerful gestures, those that write newspaper headlines like “man saves child from falling off balcony” or “woman stops motorist from falling off bridge.” We also feel gratitude when someone does something as simple as saying the right words to us at the right time, or makes a kind and pleasant gesture when they see that we are a little bad. Therefore, gratitude is also valuing what we have and appreciating the little things in life that, without them, would be sadder.
The benefits of gratitude
It is curious that, despite the great power of gratitude, it is practiced by few Curious, but not strange. Most of us have a thinking style that tends toward the negative, even if we are people who consider ourselves minimally optimistic. Two-thirds of our thoughts focus on negative things, both past and those that may happen. As if it were breathing, human beings apply the negativity bias daily to everything that happens to us.
Fortunately, practicing gratitude can serve as “the cure” for this bias. We should not be mistaken and think that the negativity bias is typical of a person with a pathological mind, but we should obsessively focus on everything bad that happened and could happen is not going to bring us happiness or well-being. It is logical to be a little pessimistic, since nothing in this life is guaranteed to turn out well, but we should not ignore all the good things that happen to us. Gratitude will help us take into account the positive things in our lives
There are many benefits that come from being grateful for what surrounds us. We could mention a long list with each and every one of the improvements in our daily life that means thanking people for all the good things they do for us. It also implies knowing how to value the good things that we have without being owed to anyone in particular and that allow us to have a life that many people in the world would like to have, such as having a house, being able to shower with hot water every morning or simply , not go hungry.
Among the powers of gratitude, we find that expressing it can lift our spirits when we are emotionally down or anxious. Gratitude allows us to see that, despite adversity, despite going through a bad streak, not everything is bad. It is true that there will be bumps along the road of life, but there will also be moments full of true happiness, and although it is difficult for us to see it now and maybe even understand it, good things always come after a bad time. Consequently, it will also give us greater mental health.
It also has the power to free us from toxic emotions. You know, grudges, hatred, bad relationships… It is very difficult to find totally bad people in the world, people who do things to harm us just because. Not everything is black or white, but each thing has its nuances and people do not escape this rule. Someone may have hurt us one day, but knowing how to value all the good things they have done to us will prevent us from falling into the black and toxic trap of resentment. Goodness is everywhere, even if it is not always manifested.
This excitement may also mean fewer visits to the doctor. In general, people who are grateful for life are more likely to take care of their eating habits, in addition to practicing more exercise. Instead of dwelling on everything bad that happens to them, they appreciate the good times and take advantage of their free hours since they know that time is money.
By having a more positive view of life, practicing sports and taking care of their diet, they fall into illness less often and, if they do get sick, they show their good side, convinced that they will get ahead. That’s why grateful people also live longer and better.
How to put it into practice?
Seeing the power of gratitude and the benefits it entails, many at this point must surely wonder how to put it into practice. Really, It is nothing complicated, nothing more than feeling grateful for the good things that happen to us It is true that in life there are many bad things that, perhaps, cloud our judgment and make us focus our attention only on the negative.
However, no matter how many bad things may always happen to us, there will always be something good, something positive for which to feel gratitude. Fortunately for you, dear reader, below we are going to see a few tips to put gratitude into practice (look, something to feel grateful for).
1. The list of good things
There are hundreds, thousands of good things that happen to us frequently and that, if they were not there, would make a big difference in our lives. Being healthy, having a family, having a job, not having died from coronavirus…
We can make a list of the good things that have happened to us or that we are currently enjoying, put it in a visible place in our home and review it every day. Whether in the kitchen, in our room or in the entrance, every time we see it we will notice those things for which we feel gratitude in our lives
Of course, this list will not be closed. We can write down new things every time something good doesn’t happen or we remember something positive, both present and past. And if it happens that something that was on the list is no longer there, such as a family member dying, let’s not cross it out. Being on the list will remind us of all the good things we experienced with him or her and that, although he or she is no longer alive, we are grateful for having him or her in our lives.
When we wake up, we can ask ourselves the following question: “What am I grateful for today?” The idea of this exercise is to try to say out loud ten things for which we are grateful
It can be anything, from having slept well that night, having been able to have a cup of cocoa with milk for breakfast, not having arrived late, not having caught traffic jams… whatever as long as it helps us feel gratitude for how the day is going, that could always get much worse.
In the long run this exercise will become a habit, a routine that will make it easier for us to have a positive vision of our lives helping us appreciate the many good things that, no matter how small they may be, always happen.
3. Be grateful for what others do for us
Finally, we propose an exercise to practice interpersonal gratitude. After all, it is much more powerful to feel gratitude towards someone, towards a real person, than towards an event that may be due to a mere combination of coincidences and coincidences.
As we said, in our environment there are always people who will do us favors in a selfless way. Whether by sacrificing very intensely for us or simply dedicating a small portion of your time and efforts, the truth is that There are many people who do good things for us for the simple fact of wanting to do them
The time has come to thank him, even if it is with a mere “thank you for what you have done.” If we find ourselves under the moral obligation to thank you in a more intense way, with a gift, a hug or helping you with something, of course we are free to do so and this is much better than thanking you in words.
Be that as it may, the idea is to return the good vibes, spread gratitude and let others know that we value what they do for us, no matter how trivial it may seem. And saying thank you is something cheap, it costs nothing, let’s not be silent about such a powerful word.
Seeing all the benefits of gratitude and how easy it is to make it a habit in our lives, what are you waiting for to practice it? I’m going to start doing it now…
