Gratitude & Happiness: How Gratitude Makes You Happy

Gratitude & Happiness: How Gratitude Makes You Happy  

It can be easy to complain.

There may always be things you can focus on that can prevent you from being happy. It could be your work, family issues, the state of the world or even just the weather.

The point is there can always be something to complain about and the more you focus on those negative things, the more it robs you of experiencing true happiness. If you want to be happier, you need to express gratitude for the things in your life.

In the same way that there may always be things to complain about there are also things, you can always have gratitude for. When you focus on this, you allow yourself to become happier.

Gratitude and happiness are interconnected and at its core, gratitude is just a thankful appreciation for the things you receive. This doesn’t mean physical presents, though they are a great thing, but any gift you receive whether it’s tangible or intangible.

In any form of gift you get it allows you to recognise that there is good in the world and that it is possible to come from things other than yourself. This allows you to connect more with people and the world. You are now more aware of things larger than yourself, and it can open you up for feeling true gratitude.

This is important because the more you practise gratitude, the happier you can be. When you show more gratitude, it opens you up to feel some stronger, and positive, emotions. Gratitude also helps you to embrace great experiences, improve your health, overcome adversity and build better relationships with people.

It’s also important to practise gratitude because it allows you to focus on what’s happening right now. It helps you avoid wanting things you don’t have yet, or might never get. If you’re constantly looking to the future and thinking about what you don’t have, it will never leave you happy. You will continue to focus on what you don’t have instead of what you can do.

You will never feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met and this robs you of true happiness. So the sooner you can focus on what is happening now, and be thankful for it, the more likely you are to be happy. Focus on what you have and not what you lack and if you do this constantly over time, it can create a real shift in your attitude.

Some ways you can practise gratitude are by writing thank-you notes for someone who has done something for you. It doesn’t matter if it was a big gesture or something small when you write and share your appreciation it will make you feel happy. Not only that it will probably surprise the person receiving the note and they’ll feel great about getting it. You now have helped to build and create a stronger bond in that relationship, and that can lead to more happiness. It’s a simple act that has a lot of benefits to it.

Another great way to express gratitude is to keep a journal. It’s a great idea to put your thoughts down as a way to be aware of your feelings and emotions, but in this case, it also helps you get a real look at what you are grateful for. If you get in the habit of writing down the things you are thankful for it helps you to become more aware of them. Don’t feel weird about writing down even the smallest thing because they all add up to provide you with more happiness.

You may share your gratitude for seeing the sun shining today or seeing an animal that made you happy. You might want to share some music you appreciate or something you learned that helped improve your knowledge. All of this can be powerful and enables you to appreciate what is occurring around you and can cause improved happiness.

One of the easiest ways to be grateful is the timeless approach of counting your blessings. We tend not to take enough time to sit and appreciate what we have. You can also use this time for writing as well and talk about your blessings. Write about what went right and what you are thankful for. Make it a daily habit to write 3-5 things that have been a blessing in your life and share the emotions and feelings you get from those blessings.

When you make gratitude a habit in your life, it will push away the focus on negative thoughts. The longer those negative thoughts and emotions stay at the forefront the more they will prevent your own happiness. We have a built-in mechanism to happiness that exists in us, and it starts with gratitude.