If, at this very moment, you are physically and mentally sound, if you have a roof over your head, if you have three meals a day, if you are performing your daily routine chores without assistance, if you are breathing without a support system, then have you expressed your gratitude or have you lost the art of gratitude?

There are so many people in the world right now who are dying of hunger, crumbling under mountainous debts, losing a dear one, committing suicide, begging for a second chance and so many millions of underprivileged people who would be ready to do anything to be in your shoes right now just to have a single carefree/happy moment in life or to be an able-bodied.

No matter who, what, how, where and in which situation you are, practising gratitude helps in a multitude. Having a grateful attitude is hard, especially in these difficult times. But then it is now when we have to pull ourselves together and highly need to feel motivated, wanted, be optimistic about ourselves as well as the whole around us.

What is gratitude?

Gratitude is nothing but being thankful, appreciative and kind towards everyone and everything around us. Be grateful that you can see, smell, touch, read, understand, feel, taste and breathe. We are so blessed, so lucky but do we take at least a few moments in our 24hrs busy schedule to thank god or anyone else for all the privileges that we have at this moment?

I remember my mother teaching me to say a few thankful words before going to bed. I used to wonder what difference would a simple and yet time-consuming practice make. But now that I have grown up and imbibed that in my routine, I reap the benefits of it. It creates long-lasting positivity. So I have decided to share a few advantages of it and a few methods to inculcate it in our lives.

After knowing all these wonderful benefits of practising gratitude, I am sure you would be eager to know how to begin practising it in your daily life.

How to practice gratitude?

Start your day by thanking: It’s our habit that the moment we open our eyes our brain immediately starts worrying about the routine and pending work. It is at this point that we have to make the very first change. As soon as you wake up take a few deep breaths and thank the universe for a good night’s sleep and visualize you having a great day ahead already.

Gratitude affirmations: Research shows that self-affirmations activate reward systems in the brain and uplifts the mood. To know more click on the effects of affirmations on the brain. You can try affirmations such as I am grateful for this new day, I appreciate this life as a wonderful gift and blessing, I am thankful that I can add value to another’s life…etc.

Write a Gratitude Journal: Writing with your hands makes your brain process your thinking and visualization in a more detailed way . Each day you spend some time making a note of what you are thankful for-anything big or small.

Love yourself: We all make mistakes, and we all have some guilty feelings but that doesn’t make us less human and succumb to self-hatred. If you don’t love yourself then others would find it hard to love you back. Start loving yourself and slowly you will love everyone else too.

Appreciate, celebrate and compliment others’ hard work & success: Appreciate things around you. Enjoy nature. Observe small insignificant beings and creatures. Wonder what would happen without their contribution to the planet Earth. Compliment someone when they dress up and look good. You don’t need an occasion to celebrate; this life in itself is a celebration. Be lively and live in the moment. Enjoy yourself.

Acknowledge others help: Make others know how you admire them for the role they play in your life by adding goodness and value to it. Acknowledge their feelings. It’s said that one may forget what was told to them but will remember how it felt to them.

Read inspiring books and quotes: Reading will keep you motivated and let you see the goodness in the world. Inspirational quotes usually trigger our emotions in a good way and provide encouragement in seeking and pursuing our desires.

Meditate: Play music or simply sit with your eyes closed. Meditate on what you are thankful for. Thank heavens for this precious gift of life.

Count the mistakes that turned out to be blessings: Remind yourself that every mistake is a blessing in disguise. The more you think of blessings the more you attract blessings-it’s the law of attraction.

Laugh and smile more often: A study reveals that laughing makes you younger. Laughing relieves one from body pains, aches, stress and anxiety. Look for pleasure and smile at the positives in all you do.

Talk to your parents:
Some may find it overbearing to talk to their parents but then it is found that talking to one’s mother releases oxytocin -the happy hormone. Let them know how much you appreciate them and their upbringing.

Forgo the urge to watch negative media and films with toxic content: As much as it is necessary to keep up with current affairs, it is also necessary to know when to shut it all out. Restrict your screen time. Just doing so will save you from a plethora of ailments.

As you start practicing the art of gratitude, you will notice positive changes in you and eventually, you may feel as if the whole universe is conspiring to make things right for you even in the face of adversity. Make expressing gratitude a part of your daily life. Revive the lost art of gratitude.

The Lost Art of Gratitude

What is gratitude?

How to practice gratitude?

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What is gratitude?

How to practice gratitude?

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