9 benefits of gratitude that will change your life

There are many benefits of gratitude. However, in a world full of distractions, chaos and tragedy, sometimes its hard to remember what is good in our lives. Gratitude goes beyond a simple “thank you” and involves being mindful so that we are able to tap into gratitude even when times are tough. The benefits of gratitude can transform our lives in numerous ways. From improved mental health to strengthened relationships, the benefits of gratitude are vast. So, let’s delve into the top 10 benefits of gratitude and how it can positively impact your life.

Improved Mental Health

One benefit of gratitude is that it can positively influence our mental health and your thought patterns. After all, if you are always thinking in a negative and ungrateful way it is unlikely you are going to feel too happy with your life. 

Of course, you cannot control what thoughts you have. This is especially true if you have a mental health condition such as OCD. Sometimes you will have intrusive thoughts that are very unhelpful. 

Gratitude is not a magic pill to fix this. However, gratitude can help shift our thoughts from negative to positive which will lead to reduced stress levels and an overall increase in life satisfaction. 

It is not easy, but if you practice being mindful about your thoughts, you will be able to start catching yourself when you have a negative thought. This is the first step in changing your mindset. Once you are able to do this, you then have the choice to dwell in the thought and make it fact, or you can remind yourself that just because you have thought something, it doesn’t make it a fact.

Then you can choose to think about something you are grateful for which will help you get into a more positive mindset. 

Increasing our gratitude will also increase our happiness because if we acknowledge the good in our lives, we are cultivating a sense of contentment and joy. 

Improved Sleep

I, and many people I know, struggle to sleep because they are laying in bed worrying. 

Gratitude can improve our sleep quality and can help us fall into a more restful sleep quicker. 

If you are laying in bed thinking about all of the things that you have to do tomorrow or about what you have seen on the news, you will find it hard to switch off. 

Writing a few things you are grateful for every night before bed will help your brain focus on the positive and rest. 

Again, this takes practice so don’t be discouraged if you try this once and don’t see immediate full effects. 

Enhanced Empathy

When we are more positive, we have a greater capacity to have love and empathy towards others. 

Gratitude enhances our self-awareness. When we are grateful we are more inclined to have empathy towards those who may not be as lucky as us. This causes us to want to connect with others and provide support. 

Strengthened Relationships

Gratitude helps us to acknowledge and connect to a community greater than ourselves. 

A study conducted by Dr Martin Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, found that those who showed gratitude to those around them greatly increased their happiness. 

This study consisted of 411 people who were tasked to write a letter of gratitude to someone. Participants felt this greatly increased their happiness and relationships. 

Other studies have shown that a person that expresses gratitude to their partner felt more positive towards their partner and strengthened their relationship because they felt appreciated. 

Reduced Aggression

Gratitude makes us more positive and happier. So it makes sense that gratitude also reduces aggression! 

Practicing gratitude increases our empathy towards others. Therefore, we are more likely to approach conflicts with understanding and compassion rather than aggression.

Improved Self-Esteem

If you have a negative outlook, you probably have lower self-esteem because you are not recognising your achievements or positive qualities. 

Practicing gratitude allows us to recognise those achievements – big or small, and our positive qualities. 

Allowing ourselves to think about all the things that we like about ourselves improves our self-esteem and therefore our happiness. 

Increased Optimism

As you might have already guessed, gratitude increases our optimism. 

By shifting our mindset from negative to positive, we are shifting our focus to the positive aspects of our lives. 

By not focusing on the negative, the negative things that happen don’t have as much weight because we have enough good in our lives to outweigh the bad. 

Increased Resilience

Gratitude also increases our resilience. When we have a positive mindset, we are greater equiped to deal with challenges. 

When you have a positive mindset, you can see a challenge as an opportunity for growth rather than the end of the world. 

By expressing gratitude, even in hard times, we are able to shield ourselves from our mental health collapsing when faced with a challenge. We are able to realise that we have survived other challenges and we will also survive this one. 

Better Physical Health

Did you know that gratitude can also improve your physical health? 

A study completed by psychologists Dr Robert Emmons at the University of California and Dr Michael McCullough from the University of Miami showed that participants exercised more and decreased their visits to doctors. 

This study had three groups of people. The first group wrote what they were grateful for throughout the week. The second group wrote about what upset them throughout the week. The last group wrote about any events, positive and negative that occurred. 

At the end of the 10 week study, those who practiced gratitude were happier and physically healthier. 

Those who practice gratitude have also been known to have better cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure and a better immune system. 

Action Steps

1. Keep a gratitude journal. Each morning when you wake up and each night before you go to sleep, write down 1 thing you are grateful for. 

2. Practice catching yourself having negative thoughts and replace them with something you are grateful for.