The power of gratitude: how does it benefit us in our lives?

A reflection on the power of gratitude and its influence on our well-being and relationships.

The power of gratitude is incredible, despite being ignored by almost everyone. A simple "thank you" can be a powerful energy, a force that motivates us to live better and happier lives and also to do more for others.

This energy is difficult to describe in a few sentences, so we are going to talk at length about it. we are going to talk at length about the power of gratitude, inviting more people to practice it.We are going to talk at length about the power of gratitude, inviting you to practice it more often.

What is the power of gratitude?

Many of us ignore it, but the power of gratitude is almost infinite and very intense. Being grateful, both by giving thanks when someone does something good for us and by valuing all the things we have in our lives, no matter how small and insignificant they may seem, brings with it many benefits.

Gratitude should become more importantIt is even more important now that we live in a world where human relationships are becoming more informal but colder. There are many gestures that are undervalued even though they mean so much....

But what is gratitude? In its most academic, dictionary definition, we understand gratitude as that feeling that obliges us to appreciate the favor we have received and the good treatment we have received, so that we recognize and reciprocate this attitude. In a simpler way, we can say that it is an emotion we feel when we are grateful for something or someone who has benefited us. Gratitude is felt when they have improved our existence, and we want to return the favor..

But it is not necessary that they have done something significant for us. We need not feel gratitude only for powerful gestures, those that make newspaper headlines like "man saves child from falling off balcony" or "woman keeps motorcyclist from falling off bridge". Gratitude is also felt when someone does something as simple as saying the right words at the right time, or making a kind and nice gesture when they see that we are a little down. Therefore, gratitude is also valuing what we have and appreciating the little things in life that, without them, would be sadder.

• You may be interested in, "What is kindness as a personality trait?"

The benefits of gratitude

It is curious that, despite the great power of gratitude, it is practiced by few.. Curious, but not strange. Most of us have a thinking style that tends toward the negative, even if we are people who consider ourselves minimally optimistic. Two-thirds of our thoughts are focused on negative things, both past and potential. Like breathing, we humans apply the negativity bias to everything that happens to us on a daily basis.

Fortunately, practicing gratitude can serve as "the cure" for this bias. We should not be mistaken and think that the negativity bias is typical of a person with a pathological mind, but it is true that focusing obsessively on all the bad things that happened and could happen will not bring us happiness or well-being. It is logical to be a little pessimistic, since nothing in this life is guaranteed to go well, but we should not ignore everything good that happens to us. Gratitude will help us to take into account the positive things in our lives..

There are many benefits of being grateful to those around us. We could mention a long list with each and every one of the improvements in our day to day that involves thanking people for all the good things they do for us. It also implies knowing how to value the good things that, without being due to anyone in particular, we have and allow us to have a life that many people in the world would like to have, such as having a house, being able to take a hot shower every morning, or simply not going hungry.

Among the powers of gratitude we find that expressing it can lift our spirits when we are emotionally down or anxious. Gratitude allows us to see that, despite adversity, despite going through a rough patch, it's not all bad things. Sure, there will be bumps along the road of life, but there will also be moments filled with true happiness.Although it may be hard for us to see it now and maybe even understand it, good things always come after a bad period. Consequently, it will also give us greater mental health.

It also has the power to free us from toxic emotions. You know, grudges, hatred, bad relationships... It is very difficult to find totally bad people in the world, people who do things to harm us just because. Not everything is black and white, but everything has its nuances and people do not escape this rule. Someone may have hurt us one day but, knowing how to value all the good things they have done to us, will prevent us from falling into the black and toxic trap of resentment. Kindness is everywhere, even if it does not always manifest itself.

This emotion can also mean fewer visits to the doctor. Generally, people who are grateful with life are more likely to take care of their eating habits, in addition to practicing more exercise. Instead of dwelling on all the bad things that happen to them, they are grateful for the good moments and take advantage of their free time, since they know that time is money.because they know that time is money.

By having a more positive outlook on life, practicing sports and taking care of their diet, they fall less often into illness and, in case they get sick, they show their good face convinced that they will get through it. Therefore, grateful people also live longer and better.

How to put it into practice?

Seeing the power of gratitude and the benefits it brings, I am sure that many people at this point must be wondering how to put it into practice. Actually, it is not complicated at all, it is nothing more complicated than feeling grateful for the good things that happen to us.. It is true that in life there are many bad things that, perhaps, cloud our judgment and make us focus our attention only on the negative.

However, no matter how many bad things may happen to us, there will always be something good, something positive to be grateful for. Fortunately for you dear reader, here are a few tips on how to put gratitude into practice (see, something to be grateful for).

1. The list of good things

There are hundreds, thousands of good things that happen to us frequently and that if they weren't there would make a big difference in our lives. Being healthy, having a family, having a job, not having died of coronavirus....

We can make a list of the good things that have happened to us or that we are enjoying at the moment, put it in a visible place in our home and review it every day. Whether it is in the kitchen, in our room or in the entrance, every time we see it we will notice those things for which we feel gratitude for our life..

Of course, this list will not be closed. We will be able to write down new things every time something good does not happen or we remember something positive, both present and past. And if it happens that something that was on the list ceases to be, such as a family member dies, do not cross it off. Being on the list will remind us of all the good things we experienced with him or her and that, although he or she is no longer alive, we are grateful for having had him or her in our lives.

2. The ten graces

When we wake up, we can ask ourselves the following question, "What am I grateful for today?" The idea of this exercise is to try to tell ourselves out loud ten things we are grateful for.

It can be anything, from having slept well that night, having had a cup of cocoa with milk for breakfast, not being late, not getting stuck in traffic... anything as long as it helps us to feel gratitude for how the day is going, which could always go much worse.

In the long run, this exercise will become a habit, a routine that will help us to have a positive outlook on our lives, helping us to appreciate the many things that are going well.helping us to appreciate the many good things that, no matter how small they may be, always happen.

3. Be grateful for what others do for us.

Finally, we propose an exercise to practice interpersonal gratitude. After all, it is much more powerful to feel gratitude towards someone, towards a real person, than towards an event that may be due to a mere combination of coincidences and coincidences.

As we were saying, in our environment there are always people who will do us favors in a disinterested way. Whether it is by sacrificing very intensely for us or simply dedicating a small portion of their time and efforts, the truth is that there are many people who do good things for us simply because they want to do them..

The time has come to thank them, even with a simple "thank you for what you have done". If we feel a moral obligation to thank them in a more intense way, with a gift, a hug or helping them with something, of course we are free to do so and it is much better to thank them in words.

Be that as it may, the idea is to return the good vibes, spread gratitude and let others know that we value what they do for us, however small it may seem. And saying thank you is cheap, it doesn't cost anything, let's not be silent about such a powerful word.

Seeing all the benefits of gratitude and how easy it is to make it a habit in our lives, what are you waiting for to practice it? I'm already going to start doing it....

Thanks for reading this article!