What Is Gratitude, Really?

February 12, 2015

Kris

The Amazing Healing Benefits of Gratitude

What Is Gratitude, Really?

That seems simple enough to answer, right? You can feel gratitude when someone helps you out, but being thankful isn’t always related to another person. Are you thankful for your warm clothes in the winter, even if you purchased them yourself? What about your meals, even if you’re the one who has to prepare and cook them?

No matter what, you can focus more on the positive and choose to feel gratitude for anything, or anyone, at any time. Once you get into the habit of consciously appreciating the positives around you, that attitude spreads over into the times when you aren’t actively practicing the feeling of thanks. I do this when I walk down the street or wander into my backyard and gaze at the lemon tree. I express gratitude every day for each and every unique, beautiful tree and plant I see. I think we should all be more grateful for nature and her beauty every day!

Final note about the research. When comparing feelings of gratitude to other areas of the subjects’ lives in the studies, there were correlations between gratitude and:

Feelings of satisfaction with life in general
Feelings of living life to the fullest
More self-acceptance and personal growth
A feeling of staying true to themselves
The belief that they had quality relationships in their lives

How to Practice This Universal Language

Learning to practice gratitude isn’t a long, drawn-out process. You can start right now and begin noticing differences in how you feel and your outlook on life in just a few weeks, even if you’re not practicing daily.

Click Read More below to continue reading and learn How to Practice This Universal Language.