Practicing gratitude is essential to living a fulfilling, healthy life. If you don’t appreciate the good around you, then it’s easy to succumb to negative thoughts and tendencies. The more you dwell on the negative, the easier it is to only focus on what’s lacking instead of what you have.
Recent studies show that people who focus on and actively acknowledge their blessings are happier and face less depression. Practicing gratitude makes you healthier and supports positive mental health. Doing so actively is important to live a well-rounded, happy life.
Here are a few tips to help you practice more gratitude in 2020.
Appreciate the little things
If you think appreciation is only warranted for monumental acts, you need to reevaluate how you view things. No one’s everyday life consists of grand gesture after grand gesture, and it’s likely yours isn’t either. If the only way you’ll appreciate something is if it’s significant, you’re already on a path to negative thinking.
It’s crucial to practice self-awareness in the form of appreciation for the simpler things. People don’t realize that gratitude is a skill that takes time to build if it isn’t something you’re used to doing. You’ll have to be consistent and work on being grateful every day. It’s difficult to take things for granted when you know what you have. It’s also easier to find out what nurtures and fulfills you because material things won’t fit the bill.
If you’re new to practicing gratitude, it might be difficult at first to think of the little things in your everyday life that mean something to you. The more you ponder it, however, the easier it’ll be.
Keep a journal
There are so many things that happen throughout the day that it’s easy to forget about them. For the little things especially, it’s difficult to appreciate them when they hardly cross your mind later.
As we mentioned, it isn’t just the grand gestures you should pay attention to and appreciate. Instead, think about things in your everyday life that you’re grateful for. If you have trouble, keeping a journal is a great way to remember everything and return to it later. You can keep a journal to log anything you want, such as your mood, significant daily events, and more.
Use a gratitude journal to write about the positive things throughout your day. Consider what you’re grateful for and what made you happy. Did you get a thoughtful text message or phone call? Did you make money from your blog? Was your coffee the perfect amount of sweetness?
What you choose to be grateful for is up to you. As long as you’re actively practicing awareness about your life and understand your blessings, you’re on the road to being more grateful.
Give back to others
Volunteering is good for the mind and soul. Giving back to those who need it without expecting anything in return makes you feel thankful for everything you have. It’s easier to practice gratitude when you realize how much you have compared to others who would only dream of being in your shoes.
You shouldn’t need a reason to help others, but studies show that giving back comes with several health benefits, including lower blood pressure, reduced stress, and decreased depression and anxiety. Look up organizations you can give a charitable donation to or volunteer for. There are tons of people around the world in need of assistance from those who can afford to help.
Spend time with the right people
A famous saying declares that you are the five people you spend the most time with. You adopt the behaviors and attitudes of people the more you’re around them, so imagine what spending time with negative people will do.
When you spend time with people who spread positivity and positive thinking, it does wonders for your own thinking patterns. You’ll start to see the good in everyday situations rather than complaining about insignificant inconveniences.
Learning how to be more grateful for everything you have is important to lead a fulfilling life. Paying attention to the little things, keeping a gratitude journal, giving back, and spending time with positive people are all ways you can enhance your life and be more thankful.