In a world that’s spinning faster than ever and full to the brim with things to do and more notifications than is humanly possible to be on top of, it’s incredibly easy to get swept up in the hamster wheel of your daily life. I have been that person rushing through days, weeks, months never stopping to breathe, to acknowledge what’s around me. But here’s the thing: Gratitude isn’t just some fluffy self help concept, it’s some serious shit, and could actually rewire your brain and change your outlook on life altogether. I was skeptical (and eye rolling skeptical) at first, trust me; however, after really diving in to the science and personal experience of gratitude practice, this ancient habit could be the most important habit you’re not doing.
The Science Behind Gratitude
Come on, lets get real for one second – back in the day when someone first suggested to me keeping a gratitude journal I thought it was just another popular wellness trend that would go away almost as quickly as my New Year’s resolutions. But holy moly, was I wrong! Yet this science behind gratitude is actually mind blowing: Researchers have been geeking out over its effects for years. There are studies from prestigious institutions like Harvard Medical School and UC Berkeley that prove the regular practice of gratitude changes your brain structure. What they found is that people who are grateful tend to consistently exhibit increased activity in areas like the medial prefrontal cortex – the thing that helps us learn and make decisions. What’s more, these changes last well beyond the gratitude exercise!
Neuroplasticity and Positive Thinking
Thank goodness the human brain is incredibly adaptable and this is what we call neuroplasticity, which means that we can actually train our brains to be more grateful. Repeating in words what we focus on – and have gratefulness for – is building new neural pathways. Your mental models, I believe, is like stepping for the first time into a forest that hasn’t been walked in a while; the more you walk, the more the path appears, becomes easy and obvious. Gratitude practice has been shown to increase happiness, life satisfaction after just 8 weeks. Not bad for something that takes less time than browsing on social media.
Getting Started with Gratitude Practice
Great, and all of that sounds fantastic, but how the F console do I do this? I’m not here to tell you that you need to become some zen master in 30 seconds or spend 5 hours a day on a mountaintop meditating (although, if that’s your thing, by all means, do it!). Gratitude practice can be surprisingly easy to begin and there’s no ‘wrong’ way to do it. No one can tell you what works but you, and the key is finding what works for YOU and making it sustainable. Fact is, let’s be honest, even the fanciest gratitude journal in the world won’t serve any damn good if you just let it gather dust next to your nightstand.
Daily Gratitude Journaling
Keeping a gratitude journal is one of the most popular and effective methods. However, I should have mentioned I went wrong at first—I thought I should jot down 10 things every day and it became too much. Start small! Every day write down three things you’re grateful for, and don’t fret if it’s missed just once in awhile. The trick is to be specific. Rather than saying, “I’m grateful for my family,” consider “I’m grateful for how my sister called me today just to check in.” The more detailed practice gets, the more meaningful it is. Sometimes you’re thankful for something that could seem pretty silly: for that perfect cup of coffee or the parking spot in front of the store that you manage to find…. That’s totally fine! It doesn’t take profound gratitude to be powerful.
Gratitude Letters and Expression
Writing gratitude letters is another powerful one. This one freaked me out a bit at first – committing to telling someone just what I’m grateful for them was super vulnerable. But tell me something, the effect is huge. You don’t even need to send the letter (although I would definitely urge you to do so if you can find the gumption). Writing appreciation for someone, even simply writing it, changes the way you’re looking and can deepen your relationships. What if you decide you want to share it? You will have some happy tears (from both parties).
Common Obstacles and How to Overcome Them
There is one elephant in the room we should address – how to sustain a gratitude practice is not always all sunshine and rainbows. You’ll have days where you aren’t feeling anything but grateful about what you’re grateful for, where life throws you unexpected curveballs, or where you’re too tired to even think about what you’re grateful for. That’s completely normal! It’s important to not let these obstacles throw your whole practice off. Gratitude is like an exercise routine: you have missed a few days at the gym, but you don’t quit altogether.
Dealing with Negative Emotions
A huge misconception about practicing gratitude is that it’s about ignoring negative feelings or projecting a fake, it’s a façade all is perfect. Nope! Asking myself to be grateful doesn’t mean that I can’t or shouldn’t be angry, sad, or frustrated. It can be too powerful, in fact, to acknowledge these feelings while still finding small things to be thankful for. It’s not about toxic positivity — it’s about building resilience and perspective. Sometimes gratitude’s just about feeling grateful you’re able to feel grateful, or just realizing that bad things often make the best things grow.
The Ripple Effect of Gratitude
One thing I noticed is that as you get into the practice of gratitude regularly it starts to make this amazing ripple effect in your life. When you start being grateful suddenly, you notice more things to be grateful for, your relationships also start improving because you start believing in others and understand better. It`s being like putting on glasses for the first time and suddenly discovering all of the detail you were missing before. As a result, this heightened awareness can amplify your level of empathy, improve communication with others, and strengthen your relationships.
Impact on Relationships
Practicing gratitude is easier said than done, but when you do, you become more sensitive to the positive actions of others, and that just builds stronger, more meaningful relationships. You may find yourself saying thank you more often, and being thankful for little gestures and being more present in your interactions. Such a shift can change the most difficult relationships and make your environment at home, work, or wherever it may be, more positive.
Developing a gratitude habit isn’t easy but it’s definitely worth it. It’s not different from any meaningful change it takes time, it takes patience and it takes consistency. Unlike many other self improvement practices, you can begin seeing instant results by practicing gratitude, day one. So why not give it a shot? But start small, be patient with yourself and sit with that and then watch yourself as this simple practice begins to transform your life in ways you never expected. Because, what’s the worst that could happen? You lose a little negativity?
Frotpox 