Why is it important to practice gratitude?
Gratitude is important because it has been proven to help people become happier, more resilient, and less stressed. It also enhances physical health and increases the likelihood of success in personal relationships. Gratitude provides an array of benefits without requiring a change in your circumstances.
Gratitude and Self love go hand in hand and should be practiced together.
What are the benefits of Practicing Gratitude?
The benefits of gratitude are not limited to one’s mood or sense of well-being. Studies have found that gratitude improves the immune system, bolsters optimism, increases self-esteem, and improves relationships.
In the book “Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier,” psychology professor Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., conducts a fascinating review of research on gratitude’s benefits. He summarizes the research as follows: “grateful people experience higher levels of positive emotions such as joy, enthusiasm, love, happiness and optimism. They also experience lower levels of negative emotions such as disappointment, sadness, and anger.”
Therefore practicing gratitude in our daily lives is an important habit we should develop.
How do I practice gratitude?
Gratitude Tips
Keep a gratitude journal
Gratitude is very important when it comes to self-love. When you’re feeling down, one thing that can help is to just write 3 things that you are grateful for that day. This can be about anything – your family, friends, or even just your job.
The act of writing them down makes you more aware of the positives in your life and is a great way to put things into perspective.
Here are some questions to get you started on your gratitude journal, but feel free to change them up!
What helped me today?
How can I serve others?
How can I serve myself better? / How could I improve myself today?
When you write it down every night before bed, you’re less likely to just forget about it the next day.
Another way to do this is to write down three or five things that made you smile that day, then read them before bed. This will really help you end the day on a positive note and over time will make you happier!
Practice by being Grateful to others
One practical way to cultivate gratitude in your life is by being grateful to others. When you’re feeling down, go and thank someone that has helped you in the past. It could be a teacher that made a difference or a friend that always listens when you need to talk.
You could even anonymously tell people what they mean to you by sending them heartfelt letters of gratitude! In the letter, you can include the following.
- Acknowledge that the person knows you and has helped you;
- Identify the specific actions that the person took;
- Express your appreciation for those actions; and, end by letting them know how much this means to you.
Another way to be grateful is by doing good things for others. You can do this by making someone’s day with a small act of kindness, doing something nice for the person, or just appreciating them.
I believe you should start to do this in your own homes, for instance with your partner, parents or friend. This will make other people feel good and improve interpersonal relationships.
One way to make someone’s day is by sending them a card or a gift. If you want to take it up a notch, write down what they mean to you and why you are thanking them.
Other ways of acknowledging people are by cooking them dinner, doing their laundry, or performing other acts of service. You will see the beauty of these little things and how these small acts of kindness increase happiness and improve mental health.
The more often you practice gratitude, the happier and more grateful you will feel and the fewer negative emotions you will experience like sadness and anger. When you’re more grateful for what you have, you’ll be less likely to focus on the “bad” things. It will force you to see the good in your life and therefore result in taking steps towards bettering yourself every day! You can find more gratitude tips on our 30 day Gratitude challenge
Why is self love important?
Self-love is important because it has been proven to help people become happier, more resilient, and less stressed. It also enhances physical health and increases the likelihood of success in personal relationships. Self-love provides an array of benefits without requiring a change in your circumstances.
Self-love means caring for yourself and staying healthy. You can practice self-love by taking care of your body, mind, and soul; By setting goals that make you happy; By being kind to yourself even when things go wrong, or when other people are unkind to you.
How to practice self Love?
Self Love Tips
- Practice Mindfulness
- Be mindful of your thoughts to cultivate gratitude and self-love
- Make an effort to do self-care activities you enjoy
- Slow down and savor the moment to appreciate life’s little moments
- Let go of your grudges, forgive others and forgive yourself for what you think are shortcomings
You can find more tips on how to practice self-love in our 30 Day Self Love Challenge
Gratitude is a powerful tool in the practice of self love
Gratitude breaks up the “me vs. the world” mindset and helps people feel more connected to themselves and their environment.
In a world that focuses so much on material goods as symbols of success, it is all too easy to lose sight of those things that really matter. Gratitude counters this trend by reminding us to be grateful for what we have, rather than focusing on what we don’t have. Gratitude reminds us to focus on the positive aspects of our lives, not just the negatives or challenges.
Self-love and gratitude go hand in hand. When you are more grateful for what you have, expressing appreciation for the people in your life you’ll be less likely to focus on the “bad” things. This will result in making time for yourself and taking care of your body, mind & soul!
How Gratitude helped my mental health?
Personally, I found gratitude played a crucial part in my journey to self-love. I used to have low self-esteem issues and didn’t understand how to improve it. Gratitude helped me counter this by reminding me to focus on the positive instead of the negatives.
I saw a great improvement in my relationships, my stress levels became less and I found positive in every negative situation. Remember when we are thankful we understand and begin to notice the small beauties of life.
Therefore I reemphasize the importance to practice Self Love and Gratitude if you are interested in a happier and more soulful journey.
