Showing Gratitude Each Day Is Kind

How often do you stop to acknowledge your gratitude throughout the day? I bet it’s something you don’t do very often. It’s easy to take the good things for granted. Sometimes we forget just how fortunate we are to simply have the basics we need to survive. Other times, we neglect to be thankful for our friends and family. Acknowledging gratitude on a regular basis can be a powerful display of kindness. Let me show you what I mean.

About Gratitude

Gratitude is all about being thankful and expressing that appreciation to others. Some think it’s an emotion or feeling, while others believe the concept is actually a practice or skill you can improve upon. I think both are correct. You can feel grateful for your blessings. It’s also possible to practice gratitude by doing things to remind yourself just how fortunate you truly are. You can also express your thankfulness to someone else. This is a powerful way to spread kindness.

Benefits of Gratitude

If you begin a practice of gratitude, I can almost guarantee you’ll reap some benefits. Taking time each day to acknowledge your blessings lifts your spirits. It helps to get past the negativity bias we all have. Instead of feeling down about what’s going wrong in your life, you’ll gain a new perspective and a more realistic picture. Showing thankfulness for others and to others multiplies the benefits gained. It spreads joy, builds bonds, and strengthens relationships. Showing that you’re grateful to another encourages that same behavior. The recipient of your appreciation may go on to show more gratitude to someone in their own life. Gratitude has even been shown to be good for your physical and mental health.

Ways to Cultivate Gratitude

Starting a simple gratitude journal is a great way to get in the habit of acknowledging what you’re grateful for. You can write in an actual paper journal of your choosing or use an electronic method. It doesn’t matter, as long as you take some time each day to write down three to five things for which you’re grateful. The repetitive nature of this exercise is where its power lies. You’ll reap more benefits by engaging in the practice regularly. You can also offer a simple word of thanks the next time someone does something nice for you. Taking a bit more time to tell a loved one why they’re special to you is an incredibly beautiful way to show them they matter. If saying the words out loud is intimidating, send them a card or letter instead.

There are countless ways to acknowledge and share gratitude. Now that you understand its benefits and importance, why not try cultivating your own thankfulness practice?

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