It is fairly well recognized that counting your blessings, as opposed to your burdens can have a huge impact on your psychological health.
Studies have demonstrated that showing gratitude for even the most basic things can have reduce depression and increase contentment.
How to Find Gratitude in life?
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
-Melody Beattie
We cannot travel to, own, earn, win or consume happiness, but we can find it in gratitude in our daily lives, as Albert Clarke said,
“We must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy.”
-Albert Clarke
Feeling Thankful
Many writers and philosophers considered thankfulness to be the highest form of thought, almost a spiritual experience. Acting thankful is something that inevitably leads to gratitude.
Buddha took this to an extreme.
Let us be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.
Buddha
Gratitude as a Daily Habit
Marc and Angel suggested making gratitude a daily habit by:
..intentionally identifying three things in your life you are grateful for. It could be as simple as feeling thankful for the clean water that comes out of your faucet or appreciating the cool breeze on a warm day.
Marc and Angel
List the things you feel grateful for over dinner, or make it a habit to identify what you’re thankful for before you go to bed. Over time, being thankful becomes like second nature, and you’ll experience benefits ranging from improved sleep to greater immunity.
Do you make gratitude a daily habit?
For me, feeling and showing gratitude can reset my mind from its daily worries, anxieties and concerns. Concerns that, at times, feel quite overwhelming.
Thinking of the things I am grateful fore, can help ground me, re-focusing my attention on what I do have, on what is around me.
Many aspects of my life are not ideal, are unfair and may never change. And yet, there is still so much I can be grateful for, even in circumstances not so ideal.
Could you identify three things you’re grateful for each and every day?
Every day grateful to be in NZ, with my family and that i am healthy to do my own shopping.
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A wonderful response, Ineke. The simple pleasures of being independent in our older age, close to family and having good general health. That is wealth indeed! And so much to be grateful for.
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Indeed I agree, the health is the most important thing to me. I see so many older people having problems to stay healthy.
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It is tragic that modern medicine can keep you alive but the quality of life is very poor for many.
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True.
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Another great post, Amanda. I agree that when gratitude becomes a daily practice, our gratitutde lists easily become longer and longer! Thank you for sharing this.
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Good point, Donna. When you start to actively look for things to appreciate in one’s own life, there are more that may previously have been skimmed over or overlooked that suddenly come into focus. Regular practice develops into habits. Habits have the possibility to modify our own internal attitude towards life, which if positive potentially leads to feeling contented emotions.
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I find lots to be grateful for every day, but from now on I’ll remind myself of at least three reasons every night before bed.
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That is excellent to hear you are going to remind yourself to be even more aware of things to be grateful for, Peggy. It is a great way to reflect on the lovelier things that occurred during one’s day.
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Covid reminded us that we cannot live in isolation. Most of us sailed through on wings of Gratitude.
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If that is what got you through Covid, then bring it on, I say..
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Plus precautions
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Thank you Amanda. I needed this reminder to do this important thing again.
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It is easy to forget to appreciate the simple things. If this is the way to happiness, I am all in!
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Ho yes ! 😀
1 – Boodie
2 – my little apartment
3 – its sublime views
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You have done well, in the gratitude exercise, M-R. We don’t actually need lots of stuff and it is so heartening to hear that you really appreciate whete you are atm. Especially as I know that you have been through some difficult times emotionally.
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Every day I feel thankful that I have you as a friend
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Aw. Jae. That is so sweet. I feel so lucky to have met you that day. We were meant to cross paths. All because of Schnauzers!
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schnauzers are a wonderful breed !
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They are the best dogs in the world, in my humble opinion. But then, I am a bit biased.
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When I was young I felt, but didn’t express much gratitude. My life has taught me the folly of this – it is now a daily habit.
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It is great to hear that you are practicing daily, Derrick and significant that you can see the folly of youth. For many of us it is or was the same experience. The attention in our younger years is egocentric and easily diverted to other things, absorbing the world around us without too much appreciation or gratitude. Gratitude may develop more along with aging, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to encourage it with daily practice. Well done!
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🙂
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1. Waking each day
2. The bush and nature
3. fresh air and clean water
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All admirable and beautiful things to be grateful for, Brian and no doubt makes you one happy bushboy!
I am often amazed, momentarily, during those first few seconds after I wake up. To comprehend how our brains can put us into a sleep state and then involuntarily and reliably switch on again to wake ourselves up, when we’ve had enough rest is intriguing. Seeing a new day is something to be grateful for.
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Got that right Amanda 🙂
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Wonderful post on gratitude.
I am grateful for the lovely family, good health and peaceful life.
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Then you are very rich indeed, Sowmya.
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Thank you for this timely post. Gratitude is a great virtue.
I was running early in the morning today .the streets are empty, and quiet. In the cold I remembered murmuring a prayer of gratitude, just for being alive, moving, and not sick.
The world has definitely changed, but then it gives us always reason to smile and stay positive.
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Our own well being is so taken for granted in modern society that it is is only realized by some when it is taken away. Sometimes that is too late. We are rich beyond measure if we have good health and are pain free. Older people recognize this. And Covid has been a prod in that direction! Thanks for popping by. How are things Covid- “taming,” going in your part of the world?
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Yes, very true. I always thought nowadays that it´s ok that we don´t have much money, as long as we are all healthy. A trip to the hospital is too painful and the price of this stressful situation is more than we can bear. More than when we know that a loved-one is sick and we can´t be with them.
Over us here is actually a rollercoaster ride..a week ago , the restrictions were relaxed and children went back to school, but then todays we entered another Lockdown , the 3rd wave have begun in Germany since the cases soars high.
Everyday we are just grateful to be alive.Would you believe it, it´s almost a year!
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Hasn’t that passed by so fast? I am sorry to hear about the third wave. It must be extremely difficult with young children at home missing out on new social and learning experiences.
Have the closed the borders? This I believe kept Australia safe.
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I like the Buddha quote. It’s how I view my life. As for your question about finding three things daily for which to be grateful, my answer is yes. Would that more people would do this!
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Yes, Ally. It would be wonderful if we could mandate this practise for everyone’s general mental well-being! Some may scoff, but it can have real benefits in simply appreciating what has passed during one’s day.
So you liked the Buddha’s quote. It is a simple and uncomplicated view of life, seeing the glass as half full. It could be seen as ridiculous or blunt, by some who feel it offers no practical problem solving help. But they miss the point that attitude is everything.
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Amanda, well done. Thanks for sharing this. Here are three, my wife, my family, and their health. Keith
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These things you mention Keith, are fundamentally important to acknowledge and be grateful for. It is so heartening to read that you are in the vast majority of the commenters. My dear Father in law would sum it up so simply: “Health is wealth.”
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MY home, my family and my health, just to begin..
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Fundamental and highly important. In fact, sometimes it is hard to not think of many more than three things. The more we do this, the better for our overall mental health. We practice at the gym for our bodies, forgetting that sometimes our minds need a stretch and exercise as well!
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So well put. I was especially moved by the last paragraph. Yes, yes, and yes.
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Thanks for that affirmation Laurie. It means a lot to me that there are readers who think my humble words are meaningful.
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One of the joys of blogging is to touch other readers.
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I think it is one of the joys of bloggers to touch other readers Laurie. I myself do like that there is no geographical barriers to readers. They might be in deepest Africa, Alaska or Germany. Perhaps that is because I am in the antipodes myself?
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Lovely post. I think practicing gratefulness is something we learn gradually in life, we become more aware of the blessings of the smaller things as well as the monumental.
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I think you are right, Dorothy. It is a learned skill. Younger folk are often egocentrically oriented. They do not realize the beauty and goodness that surrounds them, focusing instead on establishing themselves, or working out how they fit in with society. Gratitude can be powerful in terms of affecting our mood and enriching our daily lives.
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I am grateful that I am a naturally grateful person (see what I did there?). I have so many things to be grateful for from the moment I awake to when I fall asleep. And, if I get a full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I’m over-the moon with gratitude.
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I like that you are grateful for being geared towards being naturally grateful, Janis. Lol. Does that makes you doubly grateful? Then maybe double the benefits?
Do you have trouble sleeping?
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Sadly, yes. Sleep is something that often alludes me (especially in the middle of the night).
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I am sorry to hear that Janis. It does seem to be a pervading problem in our advancing years. What do you find helps?
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I’m still looking for solutions that don’t involve drugs.
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I am a bit disinclined to use drugs to solve sleeping issues. The drugs are just a mask for the underlying issue and can give you side effects which might need countering with other drugs… not good. May I ask if your sleeping issues have exacerbated since menopause. It is okay if you don’t wish to answer as it is quite personal.
I am getting better at using meditation in the middle of the night when all is quiet to get back into a dozy state. But when worries are intense, nothing much will work….
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It’s always good to be reminded that a glass half full attitude is healthy. Grateful today that we live high and dry amidst the rain, grateful for the rain because here it was getting very dry again and grateful that all of our extended family are safe and well too.
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Grateful for the rain, yes indeed, Carol! Australians tend to complain if we have more than 2 days of rain in a row, yet it is the driest continent on earth, bar Antarctica, so we need every drop to take us through the dry seasons! Bring it on, I say, but prepare for flooding if you live in low lying areas. I hope you are up higher, Carol?
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We’re well and truly away from any water. 🙂
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Complaining about 2 days of rain must be a city thing. Here everyone is very grateful for the rain because we know it might not happen again for months. We have several friends on properties and they’re loving it.
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I am sure it is Carol. I don’t complain, however. I love the rain. Bring it on, I say. Just not anymore in the flooded areas, if I can be choosy with the weather gods!
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True. I saw this morning that the river at Moree has broken its banks, with brilliant sunshine all round.
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The sun will aid to dry things out quickly.
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Another jaw-dropping, thought-provoking reflection, Amanda!
I love the Melody Beattie quote, particularly “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” I’ve never quite thought of the overreaching effects backwards and forwards before; it’s been something I do to cherish the moment, the present, but considering that it could also impact the past, and the future – well.
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Gratitude can be a timeless concept if applied to past, present or future, Ju-Lyn. I hope that this quote had prompted some more thoughts along this line. Melody Beattie’s quote was most poignant for me as well.
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It has indeed. I think the epic nature of the quote has impressed upon me the draw of returning to gratitude.
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We might often drift away from this practise but it is definitely worthwhile returning to it, if at no other time, when we are retiring for the evening. It is a nice reflection on the day, Ju-Lyn.
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Yes! I always think how lucky I am to have my health, a roof over my head and a family who are all well. The past year has made me realise more and more that I have everything that I need in life. Just hoping I don’t stay too much of a hermit!
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Hi Amanda! Thank you for the EXCELLENT way to start my week with a focus on gratitude. And the quotes you included are great and some of my favorites. Such an important perspective no matter what is going on in our lives. ~Kathy
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Thanks ever so much for your visit, Kathy. Particularly when the world is crazy or the weather wrecking havoc, (which seems to happen with more and more regularity), these quotes are an inspriation to look towards the light and the good that is happening and be grateful.
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Good piece
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Thank you
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Piece of mind is paramount
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It all starts with the self. If you can refocus your mind to observe the many blessings that surround us each day, you will continue to be blessed in other ways. Thanks for a great read.
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I agree Jay that once you start regular practise of appreciations, then you find it absorbing into your unconsciousness and it will compound nicely!
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Wow
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Thank you for the post, the words and photos make me feeling calm and better.
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Really? I am very glad to hear that the words were comforting for you. It is one of the reasons why I am compelled to write. To spread awareness, knowledge and assist others to find information that is important to share. Where are you Sukada?
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Yes really. I practice gratitude every day, it helps me to feel better. I am from Bali Indonesia.
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Excellent! Balinese are very zen when it comes to gratitude aren’t they?
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Yes they are and they do it like every day. When they finish cooking they will make little offering from whatever they cook as the sense of grateful to God. Balinese is religious people actually.
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Yes I understood that to be so.
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love this post !! it made me think about how much i really take for granted
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We do take a lot for granted Poorvi. I am glad that this post provoked some more analysis for you. I like this idea of revisiting the lovelier moments of the day when going to sleep. Feeling grateful for the good things is really beneficial and can change our brain chemistry for the better. I recommend it highly! Where in the world are you situated? I am in Australia.
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Well said and potrayed 👍
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Thank you! Gratitude is a powerful practice.
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Wow. Reading this was like getting a mental upgrade. I’m definitely going to put this into practice. Thank you for sharing this. 😀
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A mental upgrade? Wow in return. Love the terminology and flattered (and grateful) that you thought it so. It is quite magical I think in re-training one’s thought processes.
Thanks for commenting and I will pop over and visit your blog. I am in Australia. Where in the world are you located?
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You’re welcome. I’m from South Africa. I’m fairly new to the blogging world. This past week I’ve learned so much already. So I’d really appreciate your visit to my blog. Thanks again. 😊
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Blogging is fun and can get a little addictive. But it is really rewarding in that you can learn so much and it is truly indepedent media. My suggestion is that if you are new, read lots of other blogs and comment on them. That way you will begin to build your own blogging community. Best wishes.
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Thank you so much for the suggestion. I’m really excited to learn more and build my own blogging community 😁.
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It is a lot of fun. Enjoy it.
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That is the truth✌️🤞I surely tried it and became my habit currently!! The more I become thankful, the more I become happy and wipe out all the problems or disappointments
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It can be a powerful concept but we do need to practise it. I am so chuffed that you find that it is working for you. Do you practise daily?
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Yes, always remind myself about the things I have!! Every day become happier
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Indeed. You’ve got it.
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Yes😀
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Thank you!
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You know how I feel about gratitude. If I’m breathing and today I still am, I’m grateful. It’s that simple. When I die, I’ll be grateful for the opportunity to transition. I subscribed to Marc and Angel for so many years and love the Buddhist teachings among many others that remind us that no matter how tough things seem, there is a plan to it and we will see how gratitude for the not so good will play out in the end. I was grateful for sunshine today, to see a sweet baby 6 ft in front of us in line for a bakery sandwich and dessert and cute puppies playing in many places. I’m still breathing. 😉 It’s good to keep reminding us that gratitude is a prayer of thanks for the opportunity to experience material existence on this earth plane. Even a moment of it is a big deal. Keep it up. We forget.
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You provided yet another Marlene gem with your words: “.. gratitude is a prayer of thanks for the opportunity to experience material existence on this earth plane. Even a moment of it is a big deal.” Moments is something that I am talking about a little in my post today.
And so it is Marlene – we can find gratitude for the most fundamental of things, grateful for the simple experience. It is harder to feel grateful for the lows, but feelings such as these means there could be a ‘method to the madness,’ and if we can preserve that rationalisation, it may put the hard times in perspective.
We can and do forget to keep up that kind of attitude and might easily slip back into old habits. We are all flawed (?) in this way. Forgetfulness is however useful when it helps us to bury the difficult emotions so it has its uses. Trouble is sometime we forget the helpful thoughts and emotions too. I seem to need quite a bit of reminding! Especially as I get older. Lol!
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My daughter gets it in a big way. She is so grateful for the pandemic (not for people getting sick and dying) in that she has been able to work from home and this has shown her she works best this way and it will continue at least through the summer. She is working to seriously find ways to continue it. On the other hand, I’m learning the skill of having someone in the house 24/7 and adjusting to it again. 🙂 Everything has a reason, no matter how awful it seems in the moment. We just need to see with different eyes.
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If only we could be taught that from a young age. See things with different eyes and the value that philosophy has!
I do like that the pandemic has forced workplaces to be more adaptable. It will help many of us work better and be in the home with young children more ( to an extent). For some extraverted folks, this could be really stressful and they miss the connections the workplace brings. It would be a fun world if we could offer workers the workplace that suits them best!
Everything having a reason – yes we are back to our often chatted about glass half full concept! So nurturing to our souls.
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Thank you for sharing these great ideas
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You are welcome.
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A thought provoking post… Very well written I must say 👍
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Thank you
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I’m grateful that I could enjoy the festival of colours- holi even in this pandemic
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You are lucky but I do hope that the group was virus free.
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Yes right
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So many helpful tidbits in this. This is definitely a keeper!
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I am glad you think so, and your visit is very welcome. Where are you situated? I am in Australia.
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A beautiful post. Thank you for writing this. Gratefulness is truly a great virtue and we should nurture it always. Feeling so positive right now after reading this. And the quotes you shared about gratitude are so amazing 🌼🌼
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Wonderful post, thanks for sharing
https://thepowersblogging.com/
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I do agree with your thoughts,”that showing gratitude for even the most basic things can have reduce depression”.
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“Showing gratitude for even the most basic things helps to ease depressive emotions,” is what I perhaps should have written to be more accurate. I am glad you knew the intention behind my words.”
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Felt grateful for this, thank you. Let’s live happily every day by showing gratitude
https://yourgratitudejourney.com/
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