Habits are something that decides the future of a person. You don’t get what you want, but what you deserve, and what you deserve can be told by your current habits. You can change them somewhere in the future, but by default, your future also depends on your present. Practicing good habits leads to a very healthy lifestyle. Among those good habits, here is the most magical and underrated one, “GRATITUDE”.
What Is Gratitude ?
In technical terms, Gratitude is the feeling of, being grateful ,or wanting to express your thanks to somebody. In other words, thanking to anyone/anything for whom you feel grateful. Like you may be grateful for having your parents with you, you may be grateful for having enough wealth, you may be grateful for having somebody in your life. You may be grateful for being alive today, because you could die yesterday because of covid or anything else. But you are here , be grateful for that. Prayer is the another form of gratitude.
6′ in the morning, go out in an open space, breathe in the fresh air, feel the positive vibes in the air. Wander in silence for 5-10 minutes. Start practicing gratitude, by finding your gratefulness, like the way I practice and recommend. Say these small phrases to “yourself” :-
To the beautiful nature and the almighty god :-
- I’m grateful for the food, I eat.
- I’m grateful for the air, I breathe.
- I’m grateful for being unique.
- I’m grateful for the positiveness, I feel.
- I’m grateful to have you beautiful nature.
- I’m grateful for every piece of knowledge, I have.
- I’m grateful for everyone and everything, I have.
- I’m grateful for being in this world today.
Expressing thanks is one of the simplest ways to feel better.
Anshuman Parmar
Impact of Gratitude
If you can feel and say these things to yourself every morning, there’ll be a drastic change in your life. You will find a peace and calmness inside you, a peace that reflects on your face . It’ll change your way of reacting towards silly things and let them go on their way. It can be magical tool for you, even if practiced for 10-15 minutes daily. Positive psychology research has shown that gratitude touches on many aspects of our lives, like our emotions, personality, social dynamics, career success and health. All of these can contribute to increasing our basic happiness.
The scientists have researched and studied hard on this topic, and there are thousands of studies, videos, seminars, lectures, Ted talks & researches related to this . You can read some of them. Although, the internet is flooded with the gains of gratitude, Here are some scientifically proven benefits of practicing gratitude.
- Improves Psychological Well-being.
After years of researches, science has concluded that Gratitude makes people happier, improve their relationships, and help them counteract depression and suicidal thoughts. They appreciates other people for their work and focus on the positive in the present moment. Gratitude reduces feelings of envy, makes our memories happier.
- Improves Physical Health.
It’s a bit surprising that a mental exercise also improves your physical health. But some studies showed that from fewer aches and pains to improved sleep to better cardiovascular health, gratitude can help a lot. Lower blood pressure. Increase energy and more. There is even reason to believe gratitude can extend your lifespan by a few months or even years.
- Improves Our Personality.
Gratitude makes us more optimistic, and reduces materialism. A study had found that people fall asleep more quickly having better sleep quality, and staying awake more easily during the day. It has also found the evidence that more grateful people have fewer negative thoughts and more positive ones, at bedtime. Gratitude also makes you feel better about yourself, hence enhancing self-esteem.
If you want to know more about benefits, read the Forbes or Heathline article on Gratitude.
More Ways To Cultivate Gratitude.
Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis.
Write a thank-you note. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person’s impact on your life.
Thank someone mentally. No time to write? It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.
Count your blessings. Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings — reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for.
Pray. People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude, or you can go to your respected places of worship.
Meditate. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment.
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”
VOLTAIRE
If you are upto here, it means you liked the article. Do like, comment and share with your friends to tell them about this magical habit.
Anshuman Parmar 