This Daily Practice is Powerful in Boosting Mindset
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more.” — Melody Beattie.
The simple practice of gratitude can enrich you with an impactful positivity.
But being grateful hardly crosses our minds with the busy lives we live. Days go by, and the simple joys of life often go unnoticed.
What does it really mean to be grateful? Are there upsides to being appreciative?
Showing gratitude isn’t the empty ‘thank you’ to the barista that handed you your coffee.
It’s taking a step back and looking deeper. It’s recognizing the gifts you have, truly appreciating it, and internalizing the benefits it gives you.
This is a heart in the state of gratitude, and it can be applied to all walks of life, be it health, relationships or work.
Being thankful is shown to create a better mind, better character and better overall health.
Here’s how:
1. Gratitude can boost your mood
Research shows that when we express thankfulness, it creates more positive feelings overall.
The brain is triggered to release hormones associated with happiness, including dopamine and serotonin. These chemicals are what promote emotions like joy and pleasure.
2. Gratitude gives you a feeling of abundance
Feeling grateful makes it easy to follow an abundance mindset.
What does this mean? An abundance mindset is when you believe that there are ample resources. These resources aren’t limited to materialistic comforts, but also include things like mental strength and one’s own capabilities.
Showing gratitude makes you feel abundance because it shifts your focus from what you don’t have to what you do have.
When you acknowledge that you have been fulfilled today, this sense of fulfillment opens your eyes to more opportunities tomorrow. You start to think that there can always be more.
3. Gratitude keeps you away from stress
Studies have found that acts of thoughtful gratitude can decrease feelings of stress and anxiety. Acts like these have shown to produce an immediate 10% increase in happiness, and a 35% reduction in depressive symptoms.
And we all know the toll stress takes on our body, so it benefits our physical health too.
So, embrace the sweetness of gratitude and make it part of your routine.
No matter how insignificant, every moment is full of pleasures. Our ability to see and hear, the sunset you saw while on a stroll, or the mashed potato you enjoyed for dinner.
It’s up to us to live in the present and cherish them.
References:
- McDermott, Nicole. “The Mental Health Benefits of Gratitude” Forbes Health. November 10, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/mental-health-benefits-of-gratitude/
- Wright, Paul. “What happens in your brain when you give and practice gratitude” Nuvance Health. November 11, 2023. https://www.nuvancehealth.org/health-tips-and-news/your-brain-when-you-give-and-practice-gratitude
