Whether you're feeling down in the dumps or just looking to improve your mental health, gratitude is a powerful tool that can help you feel better and live a more fulfilling life. In this article, we'll discuss how to develop a daily gratitude practice, how it works, and what the benefits are from the perspective of an Asheville therapist.
Gratitude is good for your mental health
When you're feeling stressed out or overwhelmed, it's easy to take things for granted. Even in the depths of despair, we can try to find a silver lining.
Research shows that gratitude is good for your mental health. It can help you feel happier, cope with stress, and sleep better—all while helping you connect with others and feel more optimistic about life overall.
What is gratitude?
Gratitude can be described as an emotion, a virtue, an attitude, and even a personality trait. We're grateful for the things we have and the relationships we have with other people.
Gratitude can be difficult to experience if you're focused on what you don't have rather than what you do have. When we feel like there's something missing in our lives or that we're lacking something important (like money), it's easy to become resentful toward those who appear to have more than us. This can lead us down a path of self-pity, resentment toward others, and even depression and anxiety. At Strive On Counseling we can help you begin the journey to a more gratitude-filled life.
What are the benefits of a gratitude practice?
Gratitude helps you focus on the positive. When you're grateful for what you have, it becomes much easier to see the good in your life rather than focus on the negative.
Gratitude helps you see the big picture. If you're grateful for what's going on in your life right now, it becomes easier to take an optimistic attitude toward challenges and obstacles.
Gratitude makes us feel more connected to others (and even ourselves). Because gratitude involves appreciating everything we have—including other people—it can help us feel more connected with those around us, which means increased empathy and better relationships overall.
Gratitude helps us feel more connected with our purpose in life: If we truly appreciate all that we have, then we'll naturally want our lives' purpose to be something meaningful and worthwhile so that we can share our gifts with others.
How do I start a daily gratitude practice?
The first step to creating a daily gratitude practice is to begin small. You don't need to start by aiming for a full 30 minutes of meditation every day or writing down three things every morning before you get out of bed. The important thing is that you're taking steps toward developing a habit, so even if it's just 5 minutes on the days when it feels like too much, start there!
As soon as the practice becomes routine and your brain learns what to expect from the ritual, it will become easier for you each day—not just because it'll be familiar but also because our brains love structure and repetition. This means that eventually, without even trying hard or thinking about it much at all, we'll have developed an automatic routine where our brains naturally respond positively toward gratitude-related activities.
Do you have to practice gratitude every day to see the benefits?
It seems likely that practicing gratitude sometimes is better than not practicing at all. The more you practice, the more benefits you'll see.
However, it can be difficult for most people to remember to be grateful when they're in the middle of a busy day. In those moments, it's easy for us to fall into the trap of taking our blessings for granted and focusing on what we don't have rather than what we do have or have achieved. This can lead us down an unfortunate path where we think only of negative thoughts and never notice anything good happening around us (or inside us).
You can use technology to help keep track of your daily gratitude practice: Try setting reminders on your phone or computer so that every evening before bedtime, you focus on something positive from that day—perhaps something about yourself or even just one thing from nature—that made your life better.
Conclusion
The idea of gratitude practice can seem like a lot of work, but it is well worth it. When was the last time someone made your day? How about the last time you noticed the beauty of a sunset, pet your animal, or eating a good meal? If we bring more conscious awareness to these experiences, we are practicing gratitude!
Other Mental Health Services Available at Strive On Counseling
As Asheville therapists, we understand that every individual has a unique set of mental health needs. Therefore, we offer many services and forms of therapy. More specifically, our services include individual counseling, anxiety treatment, EMDR trauma therapy, therapy for men’s issues, mindfulness, Buddhist counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and teletherapy / online therapy. Some other resources we offer include guided meditations, supplements, a list of books and other useful resources, and online courses. If you would like more information about any of these services, please reach out today, and start doing therapy in North Carolina!