Happiness is a choice, and sometimes the best options can be made with the help of a bit of gratitude. Gratitude has been proven to improve our lives in ways you might never have imagined. Read on for ten ways appreciation can make you happier from a personal example and research findings that will help you put this idea into perspective.
1. Start With Small Things
There are many ways to practice gratitude, but one of the best ways is to start small. Focusing on the positives in your life, no matter how big or small can help you feel more positive overall. When you take time to appreciate the good things in your life, you’re more likely to notice and appreciate the good in others.
Here are a few small things you can do to start practising gratitude today:
- Keep a gratitude journal and write down three things you’re grateful for daily. Over time, you’ll see just how much there is to be thankful for.
- Share your appreciation with others. Tell a friend or family member how much you appreciate them and why. They’ll be sure to appreciate it too!
- Send a thank-you note. Whether it’s to someone who did something nice for you or simply someone who was there for you, taking the time to say thanks can make their day – and yours.
- Do something nice for someone else. Something as simple as holding the door open or complimenting can brighten someone’s day and make them feel appreciated. -Practice mindfulness. Be present and notice the good things happening around you, no matter how small.
2. Do A Gratitude Exercise
When you take the time to notice the things you’re grateful for, it can significantly impact your happiness. Practising gratitude can help you shift your focus from negative experiences to positive ones.
Gratitude can also help you develop a more optimistic outlook, leading to increased happiness and satisfaction. Furthermore, expressing gratitude can improve your relationships and make you more likeable and attractive to others.
There are many different ways to practice gratitude, but a straightforward exercise is to keep a gratitude journal. Each day, write down a few things that you’re grateful for. You could focus on things like your health, your family and friends, your job, or simply everyday blessings like having a roof over your head and food to eat.
Taking just a few minutes each day to think about the things you’re thankful for can significantly impact your happiness and well-being. So give it a try!
3. Make A Gratitude Jar
One easy way to show gratitude is to make a gratitude jar. All you need is a jar and some slips of paper. Write down something you’re grateful for every day and put it in the pot. At the end of the week, or month, read through your slips of paper and reflect on all the good things in your life. This simple act can help shift your focus from negative to positive and increase your overall happiness.
4. Be Grateful For The Small Things
It’s easy to be grateful for the big things in life: a new job, house, and baby. But what about the small things? Being grateful for the small things can be just as important as the big ones.
Why? Because gratitude is one of the most powerful happiness boosters, there is. Numerous studies have found that more grateful people are more likely to be happy and satisfied with their lives.
Gratitude works in two ways: first, by increasing positive emotions like happiness and joy, and second, by decreasing negative emotions like anxiety and depression. So not only does gratitude make you feel good at the moment, but it also has long-lasting effects on your overall mental health and well-being.
So how can you start being more grateful for the small things in life? Here are a few ideas:
- Make a list of everything you’re grateful for. Include both big and small things. This can be anything from your health to your family to your favourite pair of shoes.
- Every day, take a few moments to reflect on something you’re grateful for that happened that day, no matter how small it may seem. For example, “I’m grateful I caught the bus this morning” or “I’m grateful my boss praised my work today.”
- challenge yourself to find something positive in every situation, no matter how difficult. For example, if you’re stuck in traffic, you might be grateful for the extra time you have to listen to your favourite podcast.
- Keep a gratitude journal and write down three things you’re grateful for daily.
- Say thank you. Whenever someone does something nice for you, big or small, take a moment to say thank you. This could be your partner making you breakfast in bed, a colleague holding the door open, or a friend lending you a helping hand.
- Practice mindfulness and focus on the present moment. When you’re present, it’s easier to appreciate the little things we often take for granted in life.
- Smile more often. Smiling has been shown to boost our mood and increase our sense of well-being, so it’s a great way to Practice gratitude even when you don’t feel like it.
5. Share Some Of Your Success With Others
It has been scientifically proven that grateful people are happier people. Why? Because gratitude is linked with positive emotions like joy, happiness, and hope. Furthermore, grateful people have a more positive outlook on life. They are more likely to help others, which creates a virtuous circle of good emotions.
One way to increase your gratitude and happiness is to share your successes with others. When you do something great, take a moment to reflect on what went well and why it made you happy. Then, share your story with someone else – whether it’s a friend, family member, or even a stranger.
Sharing your success not only makes you feel good, but it also inspires others. When you show others that achieving their dreams is possible, you give them hope and motivation. Moreover, sharing your stories can create stronger bonds between you and the people in your life. So next time you have something to celebrate, don’t keep it to yourself – let the world know!
6. Stop Thinking So Much About Future Events
It’s easy to fall into the trap of worrying about future events that haven’t even happened yet. But the truth is, dwelling on potential problems does nothing to solve them. It only makes you more stressed and less able to enjoy the present moment.
If you worry too much about the future, try practising gratitude. Reminding yourself of all the good things in your life can help you put your worries into perspective and see that even if something terrible does happen, you’ll be able to handle it.
So next time you find yourself stressing out about what might happen, take a deep breath and focus on everything you’re grateful for. It’ll help you feel calmer and more capable of dealing with whatever comes your way.
7. Spend More Time With People Who Can Appreciate You
It can be easy to take the people in our lives for granted. We often get so wrapped up in our own lives and problems that we don’t take the time to appreciate the people around us who improve our lives. One way to become happier is to focus on gratitude and appreciation for the people who appreciate you.
Spending more time with people who appreciate you can help boost your mood and increase your well-being. Feeling appreciated can help reduce stress and anxiety and promote positive emotions like happiness, love, and joy. Gratitude also helps build strong relationships by increasing feelings of closeness, trust, and cooperation.
So, if you’re looking for ways to be happier, start by spending more time with the people who can appreciate you. Show them how much you appreciate them, and let them know how grateful you are for their presence in your life.
8. Take Up a Hobby That Will Bring You Joy
It has been scientifically proven that gratitude can make you a happier person. But what specific things can you do to increase your gratitude and happiness? One great way is to take up a hobby that brings you joy.
Think about what hobbies make you happy. It could be something as simple as reading, hiking, playing music, or painting. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something you enjoy and look forward to doing. A hobby should be something that relaxes you and brings you joy, not something that feels like another chore.
Having a joyful hobby will help increase your overall gratefulness and happiness. Remember that you have this particular activity to look forward to whenever you feel down. Gratitude is all about savouring the good moments in life; a hobby can help you do that.
9. Avoid Comparisons And Envy
One of the quickest ways to kill your happiness is to compare yourself to others and feel envious. This creates negative emotions and removes your focus from the good in your life. Instead, be grateful for what you have and let go of comparisons. When you compare, take a step back and remember everything you’re thankful for. Envy is a destructive emotion that will only make you feel bad, so let it go and focus on gratitude instead.
10. Don’t dwell on things you can’t control
There are a lot of things in life that we can’t control, so it’s essential to focus on the things we can. When something negative happens outside our control, we must accept it and move on. Ruminating over what could or should have been will only make us feel worse. It’s important to remember that we can’t change the past, but we can learn from it and use those lessons to create a better future.
10. Hold and Teach Others How to Hold Their Joy
We all know that gratitude is important for our happiness. But did you know that gratitude can also make you happier? Research has shown that gratitude has several benefits, including making us feel more positive emotions, improving our health, and even increasing our resilience in the face of stress.
One of the best ways to practice gratitude is to hold onto your joy and teach others how to do the same. When we feel grateful for what we have, it fills us with positive emotions that radiate outward. We become happier people, and our joy is contagious. By sharing our joy with others, we can create the happiness that touches everyone around us.
So next time you’re feeling down, take a moment to reflect on all the good things in your life. Remembering what we’re grateful for can help us reframe our perspective and see the bright side of even the darkest situations. And don’t forget to share your happiness with others – you never know how much they need it.
Conclusion
Gratitude is the greatest of virtues and the parent of all others. To be happy, start practising gratitude today with these 10 tips. You’ll be surprised at just how much happiness gratitude can bring.
