Gratitude is a gift, for it allows us to appreciate life in all its splendor, and takes our minds off our numerous problems for just a moment. You can’t be grateful and distraught at the same time, so it’s a great way to train your brain to focus on the positive.
Gratitude practice has a slew of benefits, including:
1. Improving your immune system, which can be detrimentally impacted by stress. Lowered stress means a better and faster immune response, which means less risk of illness.
2.Improving your mental health, as studies have shown that practicing gratitude has alleviated symptoms of anxiety and depression in participants.
3. Strengthening relationships, which is always better when the people involved are satisfied with one another. Gratitude allows for contentment rather than desire and halts the illusion of constantly wanting more.
Thee things that you can do to practice gratitude:
1. KEEP A JOURNAL
Write down the things that make you happy. Spend time describing them to the fullest detail, taking care to picture them in your head. Once you’ve written out all the things you’re grateful for, think about all the things that needed to have happened for them to exist, and write them down as well. You’ll end up with a far longer list than you could’ve ever imagined.
2. RECONNECT WITH NATURE
Try spending a little bit more time outdoors. Nature has its own way of reminding you of the smaller things in life, and their unique beauty. Simple things like flowers in bloom or a bustling branch are miracles in their own right, ones we miss while we’re caught up in things we deem more important.
3. MEDITATE
When you meditate, you effectively escape the psyche. You go to a place that is safe, a place deeper than thoughts and the mind, and allow yourself to feel the unwavering fulfillment that is always within you. In that space, away from the troubles and woes of the ego, you can come into the now, and be grateful for what already is.
