The Gratitude Attitude
What’s the quickest way to improve your mindset?
Express gratitude.
One definition of gratitude is, “The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”
Yes, you’ve likely heard it many times before, and it may sound like a cliche, but it REALLY does work.
Here’s how:
Develop an “attitude of gratitude”.
I looked up the words “gratitude attitude” and this quote popped up:
“An attitude of gratitude means making it a habit to express thankfulness and appreciation in all parts of your life, on a regular basis, for both the big and small things alike”.
Here are some benefits of expressing gratitude:
Increased optimism and improved mood: It will make you feel more positive, leading to lower stress and more happiness. People who express gratitude have lower rates of depression.
Better physical health: When you are more positive, happier and less stressed, you will be more engaged in activities that increase your physical health.
Stronger community engagement: When you feel more connected to others, they will feel more connected to you and social engagement will increase.
As you can see, each benefit builds on and improves the next.
What are some simple ways to add gratitude to your day?
Smile! Make it a habit to smile and say thank you to everyone who does anything at all nice for you throughout the day.
Say thank you. Start your day giving thanks. I used to have a co-worker who always came into the office smiling, even though he was clearly unwell. I would ask him how he was and he would ALWAYS reply, “I woke up on this side of the ground; everything else is gravy”. That’s gratitude!
Be kind. Buy someone coffee or let someone go ahead of you in the grocery line.
You get the idea…..
Here’s another powerful habit that I encourage you to try:
Write in a journal that you’ve chosen specifically for this purpose. Or on a post-it note, or make a note on your phone…..This is something I do most days, and I usually do it in the evening, but any time works well. I write down 5 things that I’m grateful for at the end of the day. Even if it’s been a not-so-great day, I can always think of 5 things.
If you REALLY want to make a powerful impact on your mood and mental health and wellbeing, then I invite you to try another practice that completely changed the way I think.
Write a letter and/or tell someone, in detail, why you are grateful for them.
This past summer I re-connected with a friend of my mother who I haven’t seen or spoken to in about 20 years. Her husband died a couple of years ago and since then she’s been living all alone in a retirement community about two hours west of my home. My memories of her are some of my fondest. She was my babysitter when I was a young child and I remember that she always made me laugh. She’s one of the sweetest, kindest people I know.
When I first spoke to her this summer my immediate feeling was one of intense shame. Why had I not been in touch with her over the years? I resolved to go visit her, and that’s exactly what I did. During our visit, the years melted away (time is strange that way…) and during our lunch I told her about how grateful I was to her for giving me such wonderful memories. I told her all the things I remembered about her kindness towards me and what an impact it had on my life. I was sincere, and she was listening intently. Her face lit up, she got teary and she kept thanking me for telling her how I felt. When I got home, I wrote her a letter expressing the same thoughts.
It was great therapy.
I made her feel good, and I’m very happy about that. But what I want to share here is how good I felt after expressing my gratitude. I felt real joy. My heart felt light and happy.
Bottom line - when you express gratitude, everyone in your life benefits.
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