It’s easy and sometimes unavoidable to focus more on what’s wrong in life. Stress and hardship are normal to all humans, after all. And after facing challenging circumstances one after another, it can be hard to pick yourself up again and fight.
Shifting your focus on life’s positives is difficult, but practicing gratitude can help. Living a grateful life is essential, especially today when people constantly pursue worldly desires that we lose sight of what’s right in front of us.
Why it’s important to be grateful
Practicing gratitude helps you notice all the little wins in life. It helps bring out the positives, like the warmth of the sun or a hearty meal you’re enjoying with your entire family. These little things are all around us but mostly clouded by the dark times we face.
The way to bring them into the light is by making it a habit to be grateful. Once you do, you will notice a great improvement in your life and well-being. Your physical and mental health improves, allowing you to bask in the happiness around you.
You have many things to be grateful for
The very fact that you’re still alive is one of the most important things to be thankful for. No matter what you are going through, the gift of life holds the promise that things can get better. It is precious, so let us be grateful that we still wake up in the morning.
It’s not just our life – that we have a home, are healthy, and with our family are things many people often take for granted but are things to be grateful for. It takes practice before living gratefully becomes a habit, but it, without a doubt, helps us get through life’s challenges.
We can learn to live gratefully
Living gratefully can be learned. It is an ability you can start practicing today, slowly honing, refining, and smoothing it as you think about the positives and wins you have in life each day. But to help you out, you can try:
- Taking a few minutes of your time to sit down and write in your journal about the things you are grateful for
- Removing yourself from places, people, or situations that bring you negativities, whether they are toxic friends, the news, or social media
- Expressing your appreciation for family, friends, or other people who are by your side, letting them know how much they mean to you
- Saying thank you to the people who serve you or help you, like the delivery driver who brought your package, the clerk at the grocery, or the barista at the café
- Surrounding yourself with people who bring with them positivity, as well as people you like, love, and admire
- Practicing mindfulness and learning to focus on what’s inside you, such as your thoughts and feelings
- Immersing in nature by exploring a local park, beach, or even your garden, soaking in their beauty and tranquility
When you start living a life of gratefulness, you will find it easy to let go of the negatives, the failures, and the bad experiences. You will find that despite all the challenges, there is much more to be happy about in the world.
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Featured image courtesy of Pexels.
