The Best Way To Show Gratitude Is To Appreciate What You Have

Several studies have shown that gratitude is beneficial to our physical and mental health. Its impact is so great that we should all spend a few minutes a day appreciating the things we have.

You wake up every day and your life drifts into a more or less organized routine. In many cases, your days are spent saturated with slowness and full of problems, as well as very short-term goals that you need to achieve. In other words, you often don’t have the opportunity to appreciate enough of what you have or show sincere gratitude.

You have very little time to recall past dreams that you realized. Instead, the responsibilities of the present push you forward. You feel a new frustration with the goals you want to achieve. You miss a life far on the horizon or distant things you want to own. The desire to improve your own life as well as the lives of the people around you is always present within you. On the other hand, you hardly pay any attention to all the goals you have already achieved.

In those few hours of the day that you can dedicate to yourself, you will probably want to exercise, spend time with your friends, or relax. So you may forget to appreciate what you have, even if it’s a healthy workout that deserves to take some time.

How you can appreciate what you have

In our culture, people often associate gratitude with duty. It’s often a nasty obligation for someone who has done something for you. But gratitude is about much more. Gratitude is a state of mind.

You can be grateful to the people who have helped you. You can even be grateful to those who have made your life difficult. After all, they put obstacles in your way that you will learn from. It is good to be grateful for your strengths as well as your weaknesses. Be grateful for what you have and also for what you have lost. The things you lost gave you the opportunity to grow.

Let’s look at some of the benefits you can reap in your life from cultivating gratitude. We will also find out how you can develop it.

Gratitude and science

Various studies by the University of California and the Mindfulness awareness research center have come up with some surprising results in terms of gratitude. They found that developing this state of mind and feeling grateful often changes the molecular structure of the brain.

When you feel grateful, you activate the area of ​​the brain that is responsible for moral thinking. This also puts the brain’s emotional centers and reward systems into action. It activates the forebrain block. This part of the brain is involved in complex cognitive behavior. It is also involved in decision-making, social behavior, and the process of expressing personality. The forebrain is another activating part of the brain. This area is responsible for emotions and empathy.

How does this affect you?

Research teams exposed people to several tests. These tests included expressing gratitude for several weeks. They observed positive results. This pattern of brain activation in the above-mentioned areas was reflected in an increase in the level of well-being of the participants in several different measurement results.

Health problems were generally reported less. Participants rated themselves as having lower levels of anxiety and depression and asserted that they had a significantly higher level of effectiveness as they felt more relaxed due to better night’s sleep. It seems that expressing gratitude is an exercise that can help you feel healthier and happier.

Ways to cultivate gratitude

Wake up every day grateful for what you have. Recognition of it is the foundation of gratitude. We often take these things for granted.

It is true that wanting new things can motivate you, but it should not affect the appreciation of your current life. That is the basis of your self-esteem. From there, many of your feelings emerge. Gratitude is therefore one of the most positive emotions we should develop.

One good exercise to stimulate gratitude is to write a letter or message to someone who has helped you with something. It doesn’t matter if it’s been quite a long time since it happened. Plus, you can spend a few minutes a day thinking about what you’re grateful for. Another idea is to keep a diary in which you can write three things you are grateful for. It can help you appreciate what you have.

In summary, these could be very easy ways to help you remember to appreciate what you have when you feel frustrated thinking about what you don’t have.