Gratitude

 

Benefits of Practicing Gratitude

Keeping a Gratitude Journal has made me more appreciative of the people I get to meet and talk to every day. And while saying “Thank You” seems to be just a simple act, the positive effect it brings to others and yourself is valuable.

1. Gratitude helps expand your network.
Showing appreciation can help you win new friends. According to a 2014 study, thanking a new acquaintance makes them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship.

2. Gratitude boosts your physical well-being.
A 2012 study found that grateful people experience fewer aches and pains. They also tend to exercise more often and more likely to take care of their health.

3. Gratitude is good for your mental health.
Psychologist, professor, and author Robert A. Emmons claims that gratitude increases happiness and reduces depression. It helps decrease feelings of envy, resentment, frustration, regret, and other negative emotions.

4. Gratitude makes you kinder.
People who regularly practice gratitude have stronger empathy. A 2012 study has discovered that they are more considerate of other people’s feelings and show less aggression, even when others behave badly towards them.

5. Grateful people sleep better.
Writing in a gratitude journal before bed will help you sleep better and longer. This was the conclusion from a 2011 study.

6. Gratitude increases your self-esteem.
A 2014 study has found that gratitude reduces one’s tendency to do social comparisons. Grateful people can appreciate other people’s success, and less likely to feel resentment towards others who have more money or better jobs.

7. Gratitude fosters resilience.
Grateful people have higher mental strength. They handle stress and overcome trauma better. This has been proven in a 2006 study, which found that Vietnam War veterans with higher levels of gratitude experienced lower rates of PTSD.

Gratitude and Wealth

Having a grateful mindset helps improve your health – both physically and mentally. This, of course, helps you become more productive and brings out optimal performance at work.

Opportunities are always connected to people. And gratitude helps in making you more pro-social, to interact and communicate better with other people.

Lastly, it makes you emotionally stronger. It provides mental toughness to overcome life’s challenges and difficulties, to persist through failures, and push forward towards your goals.

So, if there’s one habit you ought to learn this new year, why not try practicing gratitude? You’ll thank me for it.