The Power of Gratitude: Practice it Today

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

Marcel Proust

What’s one of the simplest yet practical things you can do to spark happiness? The mindset of thankfulness and gratitude. The power of gratitude is strong, and its have many benefits.  

There’s a sensation in your body, it’s warm, and it feels cozy. You feel a sense of being grounded. You breathe steady, and your heart feels full of joy. This is what gratitude feels like. This is a mindset I would like any day of the week. 

Here is a guide to gratitude and thankfulness to help you on your journey. We hope to inspire you and challenge you to 30 days of gratitude!

What Is Gratitude?

Stemming from the Latin word gratus, indicating ‘pleasing’ or ‘thankful,’ gratitude is more than merely stating ‘thank you.’ It’s the all-encompassing feeling of appreciation that magnifies the positivity in your life and raises your vibrations.

The outstanding feature of this emotion is that it’s a driver for joy. It’s an idea simple enough to understand but takes little effort, and plenty of scientific research shows its success. 

One research study by the University of California San Diego’s Rady School of Management (2022) looked at the physiological and biological advantages of co-workers’ appreciation of one another.

The researchers discovered that those who expressed appreciation before a high-stress task had better cardiovascular health than those who didn’t. Being grateful also helps reduce stress, tension and depression.

The Benefits of The Power of Gratitude

When we commit to a daily practice of gratitude, we can gain a variety of benefits to our wellness:

Psychological benefits. It positively affects your self-esteem, boosts favourable feelings, and leaves you much happier.

Social benefits. You bring favourable people into your life, enhance your romantic relationships, and strengthen your family bond, particularly in times of stress.

Character benefits. You’re more optimistic, encouraging you to offer more and less likely to be materialistic.

Career benefits. You’re more patient and much better at decision-making; it helps you discover significance in your work and improves work-related tension and psychological health.

Physical advantages. It minimizes depressive signs, helps you sleep much better, and inspires you to make much healthier options.

Additionally, the practice of thankfulness motivates you to count your true blessings– list yours in the suggested statement: “I am grateful for …” 

Example: 

“I am grateful for the clean air we breathe”. 

Or.

“I am grateful for living”.

Being vs Feeling

Being and feeling are two different things.

“I am grateful.”

This sentence explains a state of being and pertains to the mind.

It tells you what true blessings a person has selected to focus on with the deliberate effort of developing a positive concept.

“I feel grateful for my loved ones.”

I feel grateful. This affirmation describes a state of feeling and relates to emotions.

It informs you what experiences a person is participating in the minute. Remember that sensations pass. For example, “I feel grateful for my dinner tonight.”

The distinction may seem as subtle as the mid-morning sun and afternoon sun, but the outcomes of each are vastly different.

Feeling grateful shows immense gratitude and giving thanks. However, it doesn’t always cause significant action in your life. Being grateful, on the other hand, does.

It requires being present and mindful. Living in the present gives healing energy bound to bring you to another level of consciousness and guide you towards your more genuine self.

Being or feeling– Both are OK. However, remember that one defines who you are while the other is what you think for a short time.

However, the trouble starts when you combine or overuse them. Like remaining in the sun too long, there’s an opportunity it can adversely affect your health.

The Downside of The Power of Gratitude

Gratitude and mental health go hand in hand, so it’s challenging to see a disadvantage. We were taught to count our true blessings to gain more in return. 

However, not every moment in our lives can be happy or joyous. For example, if your relationship ends, you may fall into a pit of emotional distress and depression. 

So, when someone states: “there are other fish in the sea,” we believe the appropriate response should be: “thanks?”.

Also, well-intended recommendations are always welcome; as we previously discussed, practising gratitude has benefits. 

Lastly, when you focus excessively on the ‘bright side,’ you tend to forget to acknowledge some legitimate feelings. After all, we don’t live in a Disney Fairy Tale movie. 

Forcing Gratitude.

Requiring yourself to express immense gratitude is just as bad as forced apologies. By requiring an apology, it breezes past the sensations and does not get to the heart of the problem.

Similarly, when gratitude is required, you rush past your feelings without even a fast “hello” in hopes of getting to your silver lining. It might work for a while– the ‘fake it ’til you make it’ state of mind– but, as research suggests, reducing your feelings can increase your stress levels and other psychological health problems.

How to Practice The Power of Gratitude

Here is a gratitude list examples and exercises you can do to bring gratitude and thankfulness into your life. Be inspired and try 30 days of gratitude!

Gratitude Journaling

At Catch a Sleep, we are a big fan of reflection journaling for several mindful activities, and the art of immense gratitude is another. Also, we believe gratitude is the best attitude. Research studies demonstrate how gratitude journaling helps decrease depressive signs, improves sleep, and increases psychological balance when done regularly. This is key. To experience the benefits of gratitude journaling, we should do it daily. It’s such a basic, simple, transformative tool.

Here is some gratitude journal prompts that you can use to start journaling:

• Discuss a time when you felt happy. 
• Give thanks to a friend who lives far away but is dear to you.
• What is the very best gift that you have ever gotten?
• Discuss a film that touched your heart and why.
• Discuss somebody that you admire.
• Value a time you connected to nature.
• What do you like most about yourself?
• What do you enjoy most about the time you are living in?
• Express gratitude for having plentiful resources, such as food and water. 

Self Gratitude

Self gratitude or self-appreciation means to value parts of our life, character, or ourselves to acknowledge the greatness that we all have inside.

It is to be grateful for the many facets of our being that make us who we are and the small ways we go forward.

It has to do with valuing how these little things produce extensive modification and take us further in our journey.

Here is some self gratitude prompts for self-appreciation:

• What do you like most about yourself?
• Discuss a time when you challenged yourself.
• Express gratitude to yourself and your life’s journey.
• What do you love to do?
• What is your most vital life worth?

The Power of Gratitude: Guided Meditation

We are big advocates for the benefits of meditation and regularly make Guided Meditation youtube videos. Meditation is practical in learning to stop briefly and take things slowly.

The great thing about guided meditation is that it brings us to the present moment, and we become aware and intentional. 

It makes us reflect by asking questions. With time, we ask ourselves, “What can I be grateful for now?” Here is one of our guided meditations for gratitude you can use:

Deep Breathing

Like guided meditations, taking deep breaths throughout the day gives us a pause and a mindful present-moment mindset.

One technique we recommend is to take a walk in nature and synchronize your steps with your breathing. One step forward, breathe in; another step ahead, breathe out. 

And, as you breathe out, smile and say to the universe, “I am grateful to be here in the present.”

We have a complete guide on breathing meditation. Check it out.

Gratitude Crystal or Gemstone 

For this one, use a crystal or gemstone that fits in your first. We recommend a heart-shaped rose quartz crystal for its loving and heart-opening qualities. Next, carry the crystal in your pocket, bag or on a pendant. You can also keep it beside your bed while you sleep. 

Whenever you see it or hold it in your hand, take a minute to pause and try to find what you’re grateful for in that present moment. Harness the power of gratitude today with crystals.

Additionally, If you are interested in learning more about crystals and their benefits, you can check out our article on Meditating with Crystals.

Gratitude Affirmations

Affirmations are an excellent tool for reframing our mindset.

With gratitude affirmations, let’s train our minds to open our gratitude subconscious.

Also, I’ve discovered that with consistent practice coupled with the preparation of gratitude journaling, it becomes a force of habit to find time for gratitude. Give gratitude to the universe today by using affirmations. You can find more out on affirmations and how to make your own here.

Final Thoughts 

To summarize, the power of gratitude has many benefits not only to you but to all the people in your life. The practice of gratitude is linked to numerous health and well-being benefits. Additionally, why not challenge yourself to 30 days of gratitude using the examples above? Your loved ones will be feeling thankful and benefit from your newfound positive energy.

Gratitude is the best attitude!