GRATITUDE BRINGS HAPPINESS

Gratitude is strongly connected with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive thoughts, gain good experiences, improve their health, deal with difficulties, and build strong relationships.

WHAT IS GRATITUDE

Gratitude is an emotion similar to thankfulness. Many people can benefit from this general practice of expressing thanks for their lives, even in times of challenge and change. Psychologists have found neurological reasons of practicing gratitude. They say that thankfulness can bring positive effects in a person’s life.

TWO STEPS OF GRATITUDE

First, recognition of virtuousness in one’s life. The understanding that we have received something good, makes us glad and gratified.

Second, recognizing the sources of this virtuousness. One can be thankful to other people, to parents, to siblings, to friends, to colleagues, and to the world. At this stage, we identify the goodness in our lives and to whom we should be thankful for this, i.e., who made sacrifices for our happiness?

The two phases of gratitude include the identification of the virtuousness in our lives, and then how this virtuousness came to us. By this process, we can identify every blessing that makes our lives better.

WAYS TO DEVELOP GRATITUDE

Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have. Gratitude helps people progress on what they have instead of what they lack. This mental state grows stronger with routine and practice.

Here are some habits to practice gratitude in regularity.

Write a thank-you note to the people in your contact.

Make a habit of writing at least one gratitude statement a day. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with other people and with Allah. If you write thank-you note to the people in your contact, it will bring enjoyment.

Thank someone spiritually. No time to write?

It is just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual and Allah.

Keep a gratitude diary.

Make it a habit to write down the favours you've received each day.

Count your blessings.

Pick a time once in a week to sit down and write about your blessings — reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will recognize each week. As you write, be specific and think about the feelings you felt when something good happened to you.

Pray.

Prayer is helpful to develop gratitude.

HOW GRATITUDE WORKS:

Gratitude is a good tool for showing respect. It shows people that they are appreciated.

For example, if someone is depressed and you write a note of thankfulness to that person, it means you are not asking for something in return from this person; instead, you are reminding him of his importance in your life, and expressing appreciation for his presence in your life. At this time, you are not waiting for any “return” from this person.

Even when we do not expect a return, sometimes they happen. Gratitude can be exchangeable, in a good manner. It means, maybe when you are down, this person will write you a note too.

WHAT GRATITUDE BRINGS:

Improved Comfort.

Expressing your thanks can improve your general sense of comfort.

Deeper Relationships.

Gratitude is also a basic act for supporting interpersonal relationships. People who express their gratitude for each other tend to be more willing to forgive others and less narcissistic (self-lovers).

Improved Positivity.

People who focused on gratitude showed more positivity in many areas of their lives, including health and exercise.

Increased Happiness.

In the mission of happiness and life satisfaction, gratitude offers a long-lasting effect. Thus, the more gratitude we experience and express, the happier we feel.

APPLY IT TO YOUR LIFE:

Being thankful can give us the willpower, so that we can make choices in our lives that help us, emotionally and physically. This article highlights, that if we apply gratitude in our lives it can make a path towards healthier humans and communities.

When people express gratitude to each other, it encourages a desire to reciprocate, and this is a positive chain, to stimulate any family, workplace, town, and society.