What is Gratitude? and How To Practice It?

Dr. Ankit Sharma, PhD

Updated on:

Gratitude

Human life is full of challenges and opportunities. Sometimes we are in deep sorrow while sometimes we have a lot of opportunities. All in all, we are in a state of living life with some challenges and opportunities. No matter the state of life you are in, there is one thing that can always help you live a quality life. Guess what? We are talking about “gratitude.”

Don’t take this term lightly. It has the power to transform your life by 360 degrees. It can create anything for you. Gratitude gives a sense of internal pleasure that you can’t get anywhere.

It paves the right path for you to move ahead. It is one of the biggest qualities of a down-to-earth person.  

After all, have you ever experienced gratitude in your life? Have you ever experienced the benefit of being a grateful person? Do you know what science says about it?

Read further to learn how Gratitude works in your life and what benefit you can get if you practice it correctly.

It will be an ultimate gratitude guide for you where you will know everything about it.

So, without any delay, let’s get started.    

What is Gratitude?

Gratitude

You may not know what gratitude is by the term, but you might have experienced it in your life many times. Remember when you helped someone, and they thanked you in return? Do you remember when you thanked someone for any good things they did for you? This is what gratitude is.

Gratitude is a heartfelt experience that comes from the bottom of your heart when you get help from someone or help someone.

In other words, you appreciate someone’s kind assistance when you are in a problem. Or you assist someone when they are in trouble without any purpose.

After all, gratitude is about acknowledging someone’s help or goodness and letting them know they are important to you.

Let’s understand this entire thing with an example.

Let’s say you are traveling on a train. After a few hours of traveling, you find that your smartphone’s battery is getting low. So, you open your bag to take the charger.

But unfortunately, there is no charger in the bag. Meantime, you remember that you forgot to carry the charger in the bag.

Now you start asking people near you on the train for the charger.

Fortunately, a person is sitting next to you who has the charger you are looking for. They gave you the charger, and you then charged your phone.

Now you appreciate the kindness of that person and say some good words to them like “thank you or thank you for helping me.” This is what gratitude is. By taking help from someone, you thank them for their help.

What does Science Say Facts about Gratitude?

Many people always complain about the things they don’t have. But they forget the things that God has given to them. Do you also think so?

Not acknowledging what you already have and wishing to have more and more is a sign of a thankless person. You should be thankful for everything the almighty has given you, from the air, food, and water to everything helpful in your daily life.

Instead of dreaming of having more and more, you should appreciate what you already have. In simple terms, you should be grateful for everything that adds value to your life or your family members.

And if you live your life this way, you will experience immense health benefits. 

And science also talks about the health benefits of being thankful.

According to Robert A. Emmons (professor of psychology at UC Davis), “Clinical trials indicate that the practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting effects in a person’s life.” They further state gratitude: “It can lower blood pressure, improve immune function and facilitate more efficient sleep.”

If we talk about another study from the University of California San Diego’s School of Medicine, “people who were more grateful had better heart health, specifically less inflammation and healthier heart rhythms.”

How to Practice Gratitude?

Practicing gratitude is not a challenging task. You only need to have a sense of it. You don’t need to use any kind of tool or training to practice it.

It is all about how you practice it regularly. The more you practice it, the better you will be. Moreover, below are some points you can follow to practice gratitude.

  • Observe the moment: Here, you have to use the power of observation. So, you have to observe a particular moment or particular situation. You have to find what is good in that situation.

For example, is there someone who has done something for you? Or is there something you got from someone helping you manage your life? All in all, you have to become more aware of the moment.

  • Note down things: You can start writing a gratitude journal. In the journal, you can write things you feel appreciated for a particular day. You can maintain a gratitude journal every day, and you will find that you have a lot of good things in your life.
  • Celebrate a particular moment: if there is a special moment for you, you should enjoy it. Forget about the bad things for that moment and only focus on what impacts you positively.
  • Create a habit of gratitude rituals: In the race of life, you should not forget to appreciate things that you already have.

For example, you can perform some gratitude rituals like meditation, prayer, mantra, or anything that gives you inner peace.

  • Be Thankful: How do you know that you should be thankful for what kinds of things? When you recognize anything that brings joy or peace to your life, it shows gratitude.

Conclusion 

If we summarize this entire content in a few points, it would be like this:

  • It makes you original and authentic.
  • It makes you an appreciable person.
  • It shows your kind heart.
  • It makes you capable of achieving anything in your life.
  • Gratitude fills you with optimism, self-confidence, and mercy.
  • You should be grateful for everything you have, even if it is a dust particle.

That’s all. This is what you need to know about gratitude, gratefulness, and thankfulness. If we define gratitude in one word, it is the secret to achieving health, wealth, and wellness.

Thank you a lot for giving your time and deciding to learn gratitude.

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