What Happens When You Practice Gratitude Every Day

When you practice gratitude on a regular basis, it can do wonders for you. Gratitude means showing thankfulness for something or someone that gives you happiness or adds value to your life. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, gratitude is simply “the state of being grateful.” It is a strong feeling of appreciation to someone or something for the good that person has done, and readiness to return that kindness.

The Harvard Medical School provides more details, defining gratitude as:

“a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals–whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.” 

Practicing Gratitude

Gratitude makes you focus on what you already have instead of what you don’t. It helps you recognize your existing blessings and appreciate them more. Though gratitude is a simple concept, it’s not always easy to put into practice. Being thankful for what you have and training your mind not to focus on what you don’t have (but some other people do) needs some practice and a positive mindset, especially during a hard time.

Many people tend to focus on what is missing in their lives. Instead of appreciating what they have, they always complain about the things that are going wrong which leaves them stressed out and unhappy.

It’s our attitude towards situations that decides whether we will feel content or not. So, when we shift our attitude to gratefulness, everything seems to work out in life. Establishing an attitude of gratitude helps us stay present to what we do have (that many people don’t have) and take a moment to be grateful for it.

What Can Practicing Gratitude Do For You?

The benefits of expressing gratitude on a regular basis are many. If cultivated and practiced, gratitude can become a way of life. There is even evidence to suggest that practicing gratitude can change your outlook on life and the way you look at the world, and rewire your brain and body for happiness and better health.

Religious scholars, spiritual leaders, psychologists, and scientists throughout the history have deliberated on gratitude. Aside from increasing your well-being, psychology research shows how practicing gratitude towards a higher power (to our Creator) can reduce your levels of stress, depression, and anxiety.

So, let’s look at some of the amazing benefits of practicing gratitude:

Improves Your Mental and Emotional Well-being

When you take time to notice your blessings and be grateful for that, it reduces your stress and depression. You start to value what you have, and as a result you enjoy those things more. You don’t feel anger, bitterness, resentment or anxiety anymore.

If you practice gratitude by focusing on what you already have and what’s going well in your life, you also feel relaxed. That helps you sleep better and feel better, too.

Improves Your Physical Health

People who are grateful and always focus on the positive side of everything, have fewer body aches and pains.

Research also shows that those who practice gratitude exercise more regularly, eat healthy food, report less illness, and generally feel healthier.

Strengthens Your Relationships:

When you practice gratitude, you develop a habit of recognizing and expressing gratitude to others for their presence in your life. This helps you feel more connected to them and experience stronger and healthier relationships. It also makes it more likely you will care for others more, feel less lonely and depressed, and more pleasant to be around.

Also, if you are grateful to have someone in your life, you are less likely to take them for granted. Practicing gratitude for those special people and for other things in your life makes you happier. And when you are happier, you will more likely nurture your close relationships.

Practicing Gratitude Increases Your Happiness

When you become ‘good’ at showing gratitude for all the blessings in your life, more blessings follow you. You don’t focus on what is missing or what is not going right in your life anymore.

You develop a habit of counting your blessings and feel good about those. Thus, being grateful helps reduce many of your negative emotions such as frustration, anger, envy, aggression, revenge and resentment.

You rejoice in the simple pleasures of life which you no more take for granted. You learn to see/find something positive in everything even when you are having a rough day. That attitude makes you stronger and happier.

Gives More Meaning to Life

When you practice gratitude more often, you tend to become less materialistic. Being grateful for what you have turns what you have into enough! You feel more satisfied and content with your life, and focus more on things that are meaningful and that bring you long-term pleasure.

You stop feeling deprived. Your attitude of gratitude makes you understand that living with less can actually add more value and meaning to your life by freeing up more time and space in your home and in your days.

Thus, cultivating a sense of gratitude helps life feel more meaningful and enjoyable; and the more gratitude you express, the more life’s meaning will increase.

Enhances Your Self-esteem and Confidence

Being grateful improves your levels of self esteem. It boosts your productivity and you become more confident of yourself. You have less resentment towards other people that appear to be doing better than you. Instead, you learn to appreciate their accomplishments.

Practicing gratitude helps you get out of the “glass is half empty” mindset and into the habit of looking at the brighter side of everything. It also helps reduce negative comparisons with other people and pay more attention to what you have versus what you don’t. You are less likely to compare yourself with other people around you and have greater satisfaction in your life as well.

Makes You More Kind and Patient

Practicing gratitude increases your kindness and compassion, and you become more patient and understanding of other people’s situations. It has been proven that one cannot feel or experience both anger and gratitude at the same time. 

Gratitude encourages you to express kindness toward others. When you feel that you have plenty, it becomes easier for you to be kind and generous to others in need. Shifting out of anger or any other negative emotion can be as simple as changing your thoughts from negative to positive.

The Takeaway Message

Regardless of who you are, or the circumstances of your life, the benefits of gratitude are undeniable. When you learn to practice gratitude on a daily basis, it can yield incredible results – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, too.

There are numerous ways out there making it easier for everyone to increase their practice of this virtue every day. Just a small change in your thoughts and attitude can make a huge positive difference to your life, if you do it consistently.

You may also like to read: How Gratitude Can Help You Live a Simple Life

Subscribe to get a biweekly recap and an occasional bit of exclusive content (just for subscribers!) delivered straight to your inbox.