“Gratitude opens possibilities in our lives. It zeros in on our blessings to make us look at our troubles with a different lens. Gratitude shows us that our lives aren’t so bad and pushes us to believe that great things are coming.”
—Nancy Salmeron
My grandmother was a devout Catholic. I can still recall how the words “gracias a dios” or “Thank the Lord” were words instilled in every interaction that my grandmother had with others and in her prayers. As I reflect on how she lived her life, I can now understand why being grateful for her life and for her children’s health and well-being brought her such peace and comfort. As I researched the topic of gratitude, I discovered that spiritual leaders, scholars, and most recently, scientists have validated the benefits of gratitude.
What is gratitude? According to Robert Emmons, a leading science expert on the topic of gratitude, gratitude is “an affirmation of goodness.” Gratitude affirms that there is good in the world. Emmons explains that gratitude also acknowledges that good things in our life often come from external sources. This supports my grandmother’s belief that for all the blessings in her life she had to praise the Lord. This means that if you happen to believe in a higher power or are of a spiritual nature, gratitude becomes an offering of thanks to whatever you choose to believe in. I believe, and science will support my belief, that gratitude is good for your physical well-being by helping you sleep better, eliminating your fatigue, and improving your physical health. Embracing gratitude will also increase your happiness and positive mood and will develop your patience, humility, resiliency, and wisdom. Since November is Gratitude Month, I have decided to focus on this life-altering topic. Here are some reasons why practicing gratitude is helpful:
Gratitude eliminates toxic emotions.
Your negative emotions will transform with the implementation of gratitude in your life. Gratitude will reduce toxic emotions that have lingered in your thoughts and your subconscious. As you implement daily gratitude practices, you may reduce depression and increase joy. With gratitude, you zero in on what you love in your life and focus less on the negativity in your life.
Gratitude increases joy and a positive mood.
With gratitude, you focus on your blessings or what you enjoy and love in your life, and this will create joy and a positive mood. People who count their blessings tend to behave in a pro-social manner. Gratitude implementation will also help you experience more sensitivity and empathy toward other people resulting in positive interactions and more joyous encounters.
Gratitude increases your self-esteem and improves your physical health.
As you give thanks to your source, you develop your self-esteem. You feel great about who you are and where you are at in your life. In addition, you improve your physical health by reducing stress. As you focus on what you are grateful for, your heart rate reduces, and a calmness or peace resides within. Grateful people sleep better and have healthier, stronger hearts.
Gratitude will awaken the development of humility, patience, resilience, and wisdom.
Gratitude may help you understand others better. When you express feelings of gratitude, you develop a sense of humility and patience for yourself and others. Resilience is also developed when you implement daily gratitude. You develop resilience by understanding that your challenges or struggles are temporary. You develop wisdom when you show gratitude for whatever lessons you had to learn from your failures or mistakes.
Gratitude opens possibilities in our lives. It zeros in on our blessings to make us look at our troubles with a different lens. Gratitude shows us that our lives aren’t so bad and pushes us to believe that great things are coming. Gratitude is the simple act of taking time to reflect on all the beautiful things in your life, rather than recalling the negative. Practicing gratitude may be overlooked as the most important daily activity you can do to increase joy in your life. Implementing gratitude does not require much and the results are life-altering. In the month of November, I will continue to focus on tips and tricks about how to implement more gratitude in your life, so that you can live a more resilient, joyous, wise, and peaceful existence. Until next time, Believe. Change. Become.