Do you have six minutes? Watch this video. It explains in a nutshell why being grateful is essential.
3 Reasons You Should Be More Grateful
1. Being grateful makes you happy
We know for a fact that happiness isn’t external. A lot of us work hard in our careers, strive to find the right partner, and try to improve our children. We do it for lots of reasons – to make more money, to help our children become better people, and so on. But we also do it because we think achieving these goals will make us happier.
And it will. But not by as much as we think. That’s a huge happiness myth.
Happiness is internal. It comes from fully appreciating the people, things, sounds, and smells around around you.
It is not all about getting what you want; it’s about wanting what you got.
2. Being grateful improves your sleep
And getting good sleep is a big deal.
We’ve talked about the importance of sleep before on this blog. Getting a good night’s sleep is like getting an overnight tune-up. If you don’t sleep well, your cells suffer. The building blocks that make up your body experience cellular stress.
Studies show that grateful people fall asleep more easily, sleep better, and wake up feeling more refreshed.
3. Being grateful improves your relationship
One of the largest sources of tension in relationships is dividing the chores.
Do you feel like your partner doesn’t help out enough around the house? Expressing appreciation for the chores they do perform helps them realize how important their effort is – and might spur them to do more.
Expressing gratefulness to your partner relieves that tension and increases the warmth you have for each other.
How to Create a Gratitude List
Before you fall asleep tonight, think about five things you’re grateful for. Write them down. Be specific.
Appreciate both the big and small events in your life. Celebrate promotions and think about the delicious meals you have. Appreciate how warm and loving your family is plus be grateful for the beautiful trees along the sidewalk, the sunrise, a friend, a pet, your abilities and talents, or even the comfort of your bed. The list is endless.
In a psychology study, for ten weeks one group of people thought of five things they were grateful for every week. While a second group thought of five problems they had each week. A third groups wrote down five neutral events.
And yes, it worked. The gratitude group became 25% happier than the others.
Try creating your gratitude list. Think of five things every week for ten weeks. Be prepared to be happier.
Do you practice gratefulness? Has it made a difference in your life? Share your story with us in the comments!
