The How and Why of Practicing Gratitude
What is gratitude?
Everyone has times when they feel aware of being thankful for a person or a situation. These moments give us a good feeling that we call ‘gratitude’. Gratitude is a positive emotion that involves being thankful and appreciative.
Gratitude, or appreciation for the good things that happen in life, is an essential part of building our happiness.
Feeling grateful just happens sometimes, but you can also make a special effort to increase how often you feel it. Research has shown that people with high levels of gratitude experience a whole bunch of benefits, so it’s a great idea to increase your own.
Signs of Gratitude
How do you know if you are experiencing a sense of gratitude? Expressing your appreciation and thanks for what you have can happen in a number of different ways. For example, it might involve:
- Spending a few moments thinking about the things in your life that you are grateful for
- Stopping to observe and acknowledge the beauty of wonder of something you encounter in your daily life
- Being thankful for your health
- Thanking someone for the positive influence they have in your life
- Doing something kind for another person to show that you are grateful
- Paying attention to the small things in your life that bring you joy and peace
- Meditation or prayer focused on giving thanks
The Benefits of Gratitude
Increasing your gratitude is useful because:
- it’s an instant mood booster - it helps us to feel happier
- it helps us to have stronger connections with our friends and family
- it’s easier to cope with tough times
- it calms the nervous system
- it boosts our immunity and heart health
- it deepens our resilience
- you’re likely to enjoy your life more!
How to Practise Gratitude
Experiencing more gratitude is easy and doesn’t take much time. Try these ideas and see what works best for you:
- Keep a gratitude journal. Take five minutes each day or once a week to think of and write down three things that have happened to you since the previous day or week that you’re glad you experienced.
- Take pictures. Set yourself a mission to photograph little things in your everyday life that make you smile.
- Tell someone you’re grateful to have them in your life. Whether it’s someone you look up to, or someone who just makes you happy, take the time to tell them you’re glad they’re around.
You don’t have to think up a whole collection of really significant things in order to be grateful. You can be grateful for the smallest things, such as the sunshine, a smile on someone’s face, a warm cup of tea or a great conversation!
Mrs Andrea Utoikamanu
Leader of Wellbeing Year 10