The whys and hows of cultivating gratitude

A daisy in a heart-shaped cut-out.

November is here. In a few short weeks, many of us in the United States will be celebrating Thanksgiving…that one day of the year set aside for focusing on the many blessings in our lives. Of course, giving thanks does not have to be confined to one day. I plan to spend the entire month of November cultivating gratitude. I hope you will join me…wherever you live.

But first, in case you need a little motivation, let’s recap some of the benefits of cultivating more gratitude in your life.

What are the scientifically-proven benefits of gratitude?

Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.”

~Zig Ziglar
  1. Grateful people have more friends and better relationships. Acknowledging people’s accomplishments and expressing appreciation can open the door to new friends and strengthen ties with existing relationships.
  2. Grateful people feel better physically. They report fewer aches and pains and tend to take better care of their health.
  3. Grateful people feel better emotionally. Multiple studies have shown that gratitude increases happiness and decreases depression.
  4. Grateful people are more empathetic and less aggressive. Gratitude appears to increase empathy and decrease the desire for revenge. 
  5. Grateful people sleep better. Spending 15 minutes writing in a gratitude journal before bedtime has been shown to improve sleep.
  6. Grateful people have improved self-esteem. Gratitude reduces social comparisons. Rather than comparing and becoming resentful toward others, grateful people are able to appreciate others’ accomplishments.
  7. Grateful people are more resilient. Recognizing all you have to be thankful for…even during the worst times of your life…fosters resilience and reduces stress.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/?sh=707b8d3c183c

How can I cultivate gratitude?

Now that you’re convinced cultivating gratitude is beneficial, you may be wondering how to go about it. Whether you are already pretty grateful…or you tend more to the negative side…there are some simple steps you can take to boost your level of gratitude.

Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.”

~Jim Rohn
  1. Appreciate every good thing in your life, no matter how small. Don’t save your gratitude for the big things. Be thankful for a good cup of coffee, a hot shower, a smile in passing.
  2. Dig deeper. Even negative or challenging experiences can help you appreciate what you have to be thankful for. Got a flat tire? Be thankful for the skills to change it…or someone to help you. Be thankful for all the mornings you didn’t have flat tires. (Bonus tip: Next time you get in your car, send out a little thank you to everyone involved in creating that car for you and those perfectly full tires.) 
  3. Practice mindfulness. Sit down daily and picture 5-10 things you are grateful for and sit with that feeling of gratitude in your body. This practice will literally rewire your brain to be more grateful.
  4. Keep a gratitude journal. After your mindfulness practice each day, write down your positive thoughts, or end each day by recording three good things that happened that day. Come back to your journal regularly to remind yourself of all you have to be grateful for.
  5. Volunteer. Helping others reminds you of the things you take for granted. But it’s more than that. Studies have shown that volunteering for the purpose of helping others increases our own well-being, and thus our ability to have more gratitude.
  6. Express yourself. You can increase your gratitude by sharing your appreciation with others.
  7. Improve your happiness in other areas. Just as gratitude can make you happier, doing things you enjoy can increase your gratitude.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2016/07/08/8-ways-to-have-more-gratitude-every-day/?sh=2c871c3b1d54 

Join me for a Gratitude Challenge

During November, I will be posting a daily activity designed to cultivate gratitude on social media. I invite you to follow along. After the 30 days, we can compare notes and see if our lives…and those of the people around us…aren’t just a little bit better.

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.”

~Dalai Lama

Your turn

  1. Will you join me for the gratitude challenge? Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to get the daily prompt.
  2. What are you thankful for in this moment?
  3. Do you celebrate Thanksgiving? What is your favorite holiday tradition?
  4. What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love to hear from you?

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Image by Kranich17 from Pixabay 

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14 Comments

  1. I believe in the power of gratitude, of expressing thanks. I don’t know why some people resist the idea, but they do. Your ideas about how to cultivate gratitude ring true with me. Thanks for putting this post together. I am grateful. ?

  2. I’m a huge fan of gratitude Christie – I truly believe that it’s central to finding lasting joy in life. It changes our focus and it helps us to recognize the blessings around us. Good luck with the challenge (I’m not very good at keeping up with daily challenges, but I know they’re a great way to remind people to think about the things they often overlook.)
    And I’m thankful that today’s my birthday and I get to see my extended family, begin a new decade, and have the time and space to enjoy it all. x

    1. Happy belated birthday Leanne! I hope it was wonderful. I agree with gratitude being central to joy. So far, so good on the challenge. A lot of the activities are things I do anyway as a general practice, but it’s a good reminder to be mindful about the experience. Here’s to our sixties being a decade of gratitude, joy, and growth!

  3. Christie, I have been thinking a lot lately about the difference between happy people and those who seem bitter at life. I am convinced that the biggest difference is Gratitude, and most especially the daily acknowledgment of all that is good in one’s life. I don’t keep a gratitude journal, but I am a mostly positive person and I live mindfully and with intention.

    Sometimes I get bogged down in the weeds, so #2 is a good one for me to remember. Today I am thankful that I received my COVID booster shot and suffered very few side effects.

    1. Hello Suzanne. I completely agree that gratitude and acknowledging all that is good in one’s life is key to being happy. It’s not always easy to see when things aren’t going as you would hope, but there are always things to be grateful for. Wishing you a happy, gratitude-filled November.

  4. Hi, Christie – Like Suzanne, I don’t keep a Gratitude Journal, but I consider myself to (mostly) be a positive and happy person. I do begin and end each day reflecting on what I am most grateful for. I’ve been doing this for so many years now it is simply a way of life — I do highly recommend it!

    1. What a great way to start and end each day, Donna. That serves much the same purpose as a gratitude journal. One thing I like about writing things down is I’ll sometimes go back and see what I wrote on the same day the previous year. It’s a fun little trip down memory lane.

  5. This moment, I am grateful for safe travels. I just arrived in Fort Worth for a weekend visit with my daughter. Love the idea you shared about getting into our cars and giving thanks for all of the hands that went into putting our car together and making it safe for us. I tend to do that when I’m undergoing some kind of medical imaging and definitely when I’m having a massage. I’m afraid I take my poor 2008 Nissan Altima for granted and I need to do better.

    1. Hello Leslie. I’m glad you had a safe trip and I hope you are having a wonderful time with your daughter. As you indicated, you can do that gratitude practice with just about anything. Occasionally, I will stop before eating a meal and think about everyone and everything that went into getting that food on my plate–the sun, the soil, the rain, the farmer, the delivery driver, the grocery store employees, the cook (usually my husband)…you get the idea. It’s pretty amazing the gratitude you can sum up for a simple meal.

    1. I love those kind of social media challenges, Janis. With all the negativity, it’s fun to see what people are feeling grateful for and positive about. I too am grateful for my friends.

  6. Thank you for this. Even though I am reading a month later, I needed this reminder to look at the positive side of life. I’ve been wallowing a bit the last few days, and moved away from my usual practice of documenting things for which I am grateful. I need to change that, starting tonight.

    1. You are so welcome, Anne. I imagine we all wallow on occasion…at least, I know I do. If I can play some small part in helping someone pull out of that, I am humbly grateful. I hope you have gotten back to your gratitude documenting. I find that really helps shift my attitude. Happy December! I hope it brings you lots of joy.

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