Gratitude is all about noticing the good in life and appreciating it. It's also about being thankful for the role other people play in our lives, however small. It's about looking for the tiny things that spark delight in us--when we add the perfect amount of creamer to our coffee, we know it's going to be a good day, right? But gratitude has to be practiced; just like most things, it isn't a one-and-done thing; you have to repeatedly seek out things to be grateful for before it becomes a habit and you can reap the benefits.
What's the point of practicing gratitude?
Practicing gratitude is great for your mental--and physical!--health. A study by the University of Southern California found that grateful brains actually show more activity in two main regions, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC): "These areas have been previously associated with emotional processing, interpersonal bonding and rewarding social interactions, moral judgment, and the ability to understand the mental states of others" (Hoffman, 2015).
There are also numerous studies, some as early as 1995, that show physical health benefits of gratitude, as well as improved overall well-being and happiness and encouraging prosocial behavior (Allen, 2018). Prosocial behaviors are those meant to benefit others. This means that practicing gratitude not only makes you feel better, it can help you help others, too.
How do you practice gratitude?
To practice gratitude, you start off by paying attention to the small stuff. If someone helps you load your groceries in your car, or your kid falls on the playground and another, closer parent rushes to make sure they're okay before you can get to them (these are all real-life examples!)
Next, you acknowledge that these things didn't have to happen, those people (if people were involved) didn't have to take the time out of their day to do that small, nice thing for you. They chose to do so to be nice or polite. By repeatedly taking the time to notice small things like these, you'll eventually form the habit of doing so automatically, and practicing gratitude becomes much easier.
Gratitude Challenge
With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, it's the perfect time to practice gratitude and start making it a habit to appreciate the small stuff. To aid you in this, I'm running a small gratitude challenge! You can grab one or both of the gratitude logs below (or record them on your own) and join me on Facebook and Instagram every day leading up to Thanksgiving to record one thing you're grateful for! Don't forget to use #OnwardwithGratitude to share yours!
Sources:
Allen, S. (2018, May). The Science of Gratitude. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Gratitude- FINAL.pdf?_ga=2.237838720.1886827872.1631525109-422379662.1631192596.
Hoffman, A. (2015, November 16). What does a grateful brain look like? Greater Good Magazine. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_does_a_grateful_brain_look_like.
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