The Importance of Gratitude & Practicing It to Overcome Challenges

When was the last time you stopped to think about what you’re grateful for?

Recently, more and more people are talking about gratitude, its importance, and its effectiveness in improving our health and mental wellbeing.

The age-old concept of being thankful and expressing gratitude has become more relevant today, where the world around us is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This pandemic reminds us of how special, beautiful, and blessed our lives are even when we are faced with unpredictable, challenging, stressful, and overwhelming situations.

So, what is gratitude and why is it so important?

There are many definitions of gratitude, and the couple that resonates with me are:

According to the Harvard Medical School, gratitude is “a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives … As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals – whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.”

A simpler definition of gratitude comes from psychology research conducted by Fox et al. 2015,

“A social emotion that signals our recognition of the things others have done for us.”

This latter quote is so relevant and appropriate in the context of the hard work and sacrifices people in the health sector have done to keep us all safe, all over the world.

The more grateful we feel, the more we’re rewarded with a hit of dopamine – a feel-good chemical. This encourages us to do it again and again, and this helps to keep the habit up.

The importance of practicing gratitude

  1. It makes us happier
  2. It reduces stress and anxiety
  3. It helps us to be more resilient
  4. It helps us to improve our self-esteem
  5. It gives us more restful sleep
  6. It improves our relationships with family and friends
  7. It makes us better leaders
  8. It gives more meaning to what we have and what we do

How we can practice gratitude

There are many ways you can practice gratitude. Below are some of the one’s that work very well for me.

  1. Stop comparing yourself to others

It’s easy to compare ourselves to others and what they possess. What they have is through their own life’s journey, irrespective of how they got it. We are all on our individual and unique life path. Irrespective of how much or how little we possess, by being thankful and embracing what we have, express gratitude for who we are as individuals and what we have

As Dr. Seuss once said, “you were born to stand out.” 

  • Appreciate the simple things in life.

Imagine how many people go to work in the morning without breakfast or a cup of coffee, or walk to work on a rainy day, or live a lonely life at home with nobody to talk to?  Now ask yourself< “How much of this don’t we take for granted?” We may have someone lovingly make our morning coffee, someone to say “Good morning” to, or catch a cab or drive to work.

This pandemic has made many of us realize how much we take the simple things in life for granted.

It’s time to change that behavior. It’s time to appreciate the simple things in life and the joy and happiness it brings to us daily.

  • Celebrate success no matter how big or small

Be thankful for achieving every milestone on your journey. Express your gratitude to those that may have helped you along your journey. Celebrate your successes; it is the fuel to inspire you to continue your journey.

Consider all the things you’ve successfully completed over the past month or year. Write it down. This gives you the visual reinforcement of your accomplishments. Acknowledge them, celebrate them, and let this inspire you to continue to accomplish all the other things important to you. Don’t dwell on what you didn’t accomplish, rather be grateful to yourself for trying.

  •  Spend time with people you love and appreciate

Spending quality time with those you love and appreciate in your life, brings happiness to you and them. It helps to strengthen relationships, build trust and become priceless memories.

Allowing busy schedules to get in the way, often comes at the expense of loved ones.

When you’re with someone you love and care about, tell them you love them, share your affection and gratitude for having you in their lives, compliment them, inspire and motivate them. The more love and understanding you give makes it all worthwhile and you begin to appreciate others and life more and see everything in a more positive light.

  • Have a gratitude jar …one of my favourite’s!

Some people enjoy writing a gratitude journal and that’s great too!  They write a few things in the morning and a few things at night about things they’re grateful for.

We are human and we all have feelings and emotions, and not every day goes down well all the time. I use my gratitude jar as a pick-me-up when I’m feeling down. I would randomly choose a gratitude note out of the jar to give me that lift again.

Below, I have a list of my favorite gratitude quotes. Feel free to use these or you can find many others on the internet.

  • Get specific

To practice gratitude, it is important to be specific. What are you most grateful for? Is it work-related? For example, what was it about your day at work today that made you feel grateful?  Is it family or friendship-related? For example, what was it about your spouse or children or friends today, that you are grateful for?

Likewise, it could be health or finance-related. Whatever it is, be specific and try drilling it down to one most important thing. Doing this will help you to practice gratitude and make this a part of living a purposeful and meaningful life.

List of my favorite 15 gratitude quotes

  1. “When eating the fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” – Vietnamese Proverb
  2. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault
  3. “The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.” – Douglas Wood
  4. “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust
  5. “When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.” – Tecumseh
  6. “Reflect upon your present blessings – of which every man has many – not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” – Charles Dickens
  7. “When you are grateful, fear disappears, and abundance appears.” – Anthony Robbins
  8. “Make it a habit to tell people, ‘thank you.’ To express your appreciation sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.” – Ralph Marston
  9. “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” – John F. Kennedy
  10. “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson
  11. “Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things.” – Rhonda Byrne
  12. “Remember that what you now have was once among the things that you had hoped for.” – Epicurus
  13. “Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.” – Jim Rohn
  14. “Forget yesterday – it has already forgotten you. Don’t sweat tomorrow – you haven’t even met. Instead, open your eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift – today.” – Steve Maraboli
  15. “Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.” – Ernest Hemingway

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