Centered Recovery knows that clients who cultivate an “attitude of gratitude” tend to find real, lasting, and meaningful success with mental health and addiction issues. That’s why we discuss the importance and benefits of things like gratefulness year round, to help our clients cultivate an awareness of their own emotions and reactions, and help create a healthier experience in every corner of their lives. So what is gratitude?
What is gratitude?
When we think of gratitude and giving thanks, we tend to think of the holidays like Thanksgiving. Social media fills with #grateful throughout the entire month of November as people participate in thankfulness challenges online, share #grateful on Instagram and journal about what they feel gratitude for. Remembering all you have to feel grateful for, telling people why you love them, and maybe hearing why others love you can definitely work together to help make the holidays a warm and fuzzy time full of good feelings. There are a ton of benefits of gratefulness, including mental and physical perks, and you don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to get started!
Gratefulness is a year round event
But rather than wait until November to get started, take a look at how being grateful throughout the year can be a major factor in overall satisfaction in life. Not more money, not a better job, not more well-mannered children, as great as all those things would be…but simple gratitude for what we have contributes to more content. Not the automatic, routine “thanks” that you mumble while your mom is watching, but genuine, heartfelt appreciation for the things and people around us. Numerous studies have been undertaken to help researchers understand whether grateful people are more content (they are!), whether gratitude plays a role in how successful we are (it does!), and whether or not overall gratitude plays a role in our physical health (most likely yes!). It’s no wonder the simple art of being truly thankful would be so interesting to scientists: it’s free, has no negative side effects, and the benefits seem to just keep piling up.
How to cultivate gratitude
A daily habit of expressing gratitude, much like the social media challenges online, can help make it a routine that we don’t forget. Whether you announce it publicly or keep a private journal, take a few moments to think about what you are thankful for each day, and try to do it at the same time each day. It could be the first thing you do in the morning, a few moments before every meal, or it could become part of your morning commute rather than exchanging sign language with the cars around you. But don’t just hurriedly rush through it to check another thing off your to-do list—that is akin to the forced “thanks” you eked out for your mother’s benefit and means very little.
Exercises for Gratitude
If you’re stumped about how to begin a gratitude habit or journal, try one or all of these exercises to jump start your brain towards gratefulness!
- Top 5/10 things I’m grateful for
- Person I’m most grateful for and why
- Letter to teacher/inspirational person in my life
- Times in my life I’ve felt most grateful
- Describe my perfect meditation spot
- My meditation schedule for the week
- Best gifts I’ve ever received
- Best memories from childhood
- Music that puts me in a grateful/happy mood
Benefits of gratitude compound
The benefits of gratefulness are cumulative! As you feel more gratitude for the things and people in your life, you tend to have a more positive outlook on your life in general. As your outlook brightens, you tend to look for the good in things regardless of what actually happens! As you have more wins, your overall success with your health, relationships, and even job may also improve! What can you be grateful for today?
