PSYCHOLOGY
The Iceberg of Gratitude
And how to make the most out of everyday little things.
“Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.” — Rumi
If I were to say something about 2021 is that I am grateful for it. Grateful for the first part which started slowly and culminated in certain hardships in September which ended up realigning me with my path and purpose by mid-November.
What is gratitude?
Gratitude is the expression of appreciation for what one has, spontaneously generated from within. It gives the one experiencing it a sense of goodness and warmth. It has deep roots in our evolution, stemming from being able to help and be helped in return in the face of danger or unfavorable conditions.
Gratitude is a feeling of recognizing and acknowledging a positive aspect in our lives and the fact that that aspect comes from an external source: other people, nature, God.
Psychologists find that, over time, feeling grateful boosts happiness and fosters both physical and psychological health, even among those already struggling with mental health problems. When we feel grateful, we shift our attention from ruminating thoughts, and we decrease overall stress levels.
It has been noted that people who are more grateful in their daily lives suffer less from insomnia, have healthier immune systems, have overall better relationships.
We can use gratitude in our daily life as a reframing tool. For instance, instead of seeing rain as a nuisance when we have to go to work, we can be grateful for watering and nourishing the plants and nature.
The iceberg of gratitude
If we take a look at the picture above, we’ll see that we tend to be more grateful to covert things that are tangible (degrees, kilograms on a scale, health, status). And whilst there is nothing wrong with being grateful for these things, we sometimes forget to appreciate the smaller things such as sunshine, a great book, a stranger’s kindness.
We get so entrenched in the day-to-day routine and focus mostly on the big goals, that we forget to appreciate the little moments that make the most of our days.
Tips on how to foster gratitude for the everyday moments:
1. Keep a gratitude journal
In it, you can write daily at least “three good things that have gone well for you that day or brought you joy. You can do so right after something happened or at the end of the day, before going to bed.
2. Write thank-you notes to others
A small gesture with a big impact. Writing a simple thank you note on a post-it, email, or as a message to someone can instantly brighten up their day.
P.S. If you are a fellow Medium writer, the wonderful publication Thank you notes is a great way to express your gratitude. ✍ 😊
3. Think of the people who have positively influenced your life
These could be your parents, your friends, your children, your partner, or public figures you look up to as role models. Giving them thanks for having inspired you to become a better version of yourself is a great way to practice gratitude.
4. Practice “mental subtraction”
What would your life look like now if that certain event wouldn’t have happened? Picture your life without it. It is a great way to show gratitude to God or other people in your life for having realigned you with your soul’s purpose.
“It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.”
― Germany Kent
I would love to know what are you grateful for and how do you practice gratitude in your daily life.
Thank you for reading! I appreciate you! 😊
I would like to give a shoutout to a wonderful writer and a beautiful soul inside and out, Kelly Aluna Martone for her heartwarming and delightful poem, Growing Thankful Seeds🌻- a splendid poem celebrating gratitude; you can find it here:
