We live in a consumer society in which we tend to pay attention to what we lack instead of valuing everything we already have. One of our great challenges is to become aware and give thanks to every employee in our society and the workers like locksmith and for other good things in our lives.
Definition of gratitude
Gratitude is a feeling and an attitude of appreciation for a benefit, gesture, or favor received. It is accompanied by a desire to return the favor in some way. It is closely linked to gratitude, since “to thank” precisely means to express gratitude.
But be careful with this definition! When speaking of “a favor received”, we run the risk of limiting this concept to the gratitude that we can feel towards another person. Gratitude goes beyond that and includes among others:
- Thank others for what they do and for who they are.
- Thank yourself, for who we are and what we do.
- Thank life, society, circumstances … for allowing us to be, do, and have.
- In a very simplified way, gratitude is a way of giving thanks for all the positive things we have in life.
It has been, for thousands of years, one of the pillars of the main religions. However, science did not give it much importance until the beginning of the 21st century. The growing interest in gratitude has come from the hand of positive psychology and the systematic study of everything that influences our perception of well-being.
Can we say that gratitude consists of saying “thank you” for everything? Of course not!
It is not about giving thanks indiscriminately, but about doing an exercise of observation and sincerity to identify all that for which we are deeply grateful. And it does not have to be extraordinary. In fact, it pays to be thankful for the simple things that we often take for granted. Here are some examples of things for which I am grateful:
- Be alive and in good health.
- Having a body that does not make me suffer.
- Have a wonderful family.
- Having friends with whom to share good and bad times.
- Living in a country where I can enjoy all kinds of freedoms.
- Have enough money to cover all my basic needs.
- Have been able to study.
- Having had jobs that have helped me grow.
- Be a curious person, wanting to explore life.
- Could achieve my goals.
- To be able to enjoy small moments of happiness with my wife, my children, my friends …
- Contemplate the wonders of nature.
- Receive a favor from someone who expects nothing in return.
- Exchanging a sincere smile with a stranger.
What are the main benefits of gratitude?
Many recent studies linked to positive psychology have suggested that people who are more grateful have a higher level of subjective well-being. This results in several benefits, such as:
Be more optimistic and offset negativity bias
Human beings have a negative bias that leads us to pay more attention to negative things. A gratitude practice can help offset this effect by paying voluntary attention to the positive.
Also, gratitude is a good vaccine against pessimism. Grateful people focus on what they do have, not what they lack. With a little training, it becomes a superpower that allows us to focus mainly on the positive details that surround us.
Overcome depression and anxiety
Anyone who has gone through a depression or an anxiety crisis knows that one of the aspects that characterize it is the tendency to see everything negative. In those moments, practicing gratitude can help pay attention to the small positive details, even on the darkest days.
Improve social relationships
Gratitude, when focused on the people around us, improves social relationships. If I get used to express my gratitude to the people around me, I am giving them a reason to feel gratitude towards me. This creates a virtuous circle that strengthens social ties.