Cultivating a positive attitude doesn’t cost any money or take up lots of your time. What you’ll find with a lot of these reasons to start is that the positive benefits often have a knock-on effect, with one positive outcome leading to another.
Check out some of our top reasons to get started with a gratitude habit today. And if you’re still in need of a little convincing – if you practice 15 minutes of gratitude journalling a day, just imagine how fun it will be to look back over the pages at the end and see all the things you have to be grateful for.
1. Self-Esteem
Showing gratitude has been proven to reduce toxic emotions. Acts such as social comparison can be damaging to self-esteem. By expressing gratitude and being able to appreciate other people’s accomplishments, you are less likely to be resentful towards others. In turn, having a higher self-belief allows you to trust others more easily.
2. Relationships
Focusing on the nice things that your friend, partner or family member has done for you will help you to focus on the positives, however small, which can be easy to forget sometimes. Taking time to appreciate the thoughtful gestures or acts of service from others will increase satisfaction in your relationships.
3. Sleep
Spending just 15 minutes with your gratitude journal before bed can produce a feeling of unburdening from the day and can help you to sleep better and longer through the night. It may even help you to dream happier!
4. Decisions
Practicing gratitude increases your clarity and allows you to view the positives of a given situation or outcome. Greater clarity allows for a quicker, more confident approach to making decisions.
5. Optimism
By jotting down daily the things for which you are grateful, you are training your subconscious mind to focus on the positive. By telling your thoughts that you want to hear more grateful and positive stories, in a few weeks, your thoughts will turn towards what you are grateful for rather than what you don’t have or what you think you deserve. Improving your internal monologue will make a huge difference in your outlook on life.
