Neuroscientists tell us that our minds are like Velcro for negativity and Teflon for positivity. We’re hardwired with a “negativity bias” that causes us to unwittingly overlook the positive aspects and abundance in our lives. We focus on how far we still have to go in our careers instead of how far we’ve come. We pay more attention to problems that need fixing instead of what’s already fixed. We spend more time worrying about the future than enjoying the present moment. There are many reasons why November is a time to practice gratitude and pay attention to what we often overlook or take for granted.
1- Gratitude Raises Your Awareness
Research shows that whatever we focus our minds on expands. If you’re like most people who focus on fixing the problem, what’s missing in your life or what you haven’t yet accomplished, you operate from a position of loss and discontent and experience more lack—that dream job, fat paycheck or intimate relationship. Happiness never comes because your mind operates like the zoom lens of a camera that clouds out and distorts the bigger, wide-angle lens.
Gratitude enables you see the flip side of the narrow scope that your mind builds without your knowledge. It helps you see the total trajectory of your life—where you were, where you are now and how far you have to go. It widens your perspective so you see the full spectrum, not just a piece of it. And you’ll notice how much better you feel inside.
2- Gratitude Cultivates Contentment
The best way to reach contentment is to express gratitude for what you already have. His Holiness the Dalai Lama says there are two ways to reach contentment. One is to acquire everything you want and desire: an expensive house, sporty car, fashionable wardrobe, gourmet foods, perfect mate, exotic trips or a perfectly toned body. The list is endless. The problem with this type of wanting, he explains, is that it’s a bottomless pit and never leads to contentment.
No matter how smart, rich or gorgeous you are, sooner or later there will be something you can’t have. But when you want what you already have and express gratitude for what you already possess, you’re automatically content. When you have a strong sense of contentment, it doesn’t matter whether you obtain the object of your desire or not. You are content either way.
you even fool yourself into thinking more of something or someone will fill the void, but it doesn’t work. When we focus on abundance, we have more of it. Taking moments to underscore your completions and successes and who you love and value creates a deeper sense of fulfillment.
3- Gratitude Boosts Happiness
Studies on happiness corroborate the Dalai Lama’s assessment. Findings show that if you express gratitude, it raises your happiness by 25%. People who consciously count their blessings are happier and less depressed. When you practice gratitude, science shows you will be more optimistic about the future, feel better about your life and spend more hours exercising than those who don’t practice gratitude.
Science-backed research shows that, although happiness can be learned, it also requires sustained effort and regular practice of inward-focused habits such as gratitude and meditation to receive the long-term benefits. If we want to build our muscle strength, we go to the gym, but we don’t go once or twice and expect it to stick. We go on a continual basis.
The study found that the same is true of building happiness muscles in the brain. Many of us wait for happiness to fall in our laps from outward-focused activities. But for happiness to be sustainable, the findings show that we must practice certain activities like gratitude to fully enjoy the benefits.
4- Gratitude Strengthens Relationships
Science-backed studies show that when people feel grateful, their brain activity is different from brain activity related to guilt and the desire to help a cause. The researchers suggest that people who show gratitude are more attentive to how they express it and that simply feeling grateful may have lasting effects on the brain and contribute to improved mental health over time.
Research also shows that gratitude is a relationship-strengthening emotion and that it enables us to focus on the support and affirmation of others to build bonds. A recent study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, for example, found that teammates who thanked their coworkers before performing a high-stress task had less job stress—indicated by a better cardiovascular response—compared to teams who did not express gratitude. The enhanced cardiovascular response led to less stress, greater concentration, more confidence and peak performance. Plus, the grateful teams had greater team bonding.
5-An Attitude Of Gratitude: Practice Makes Perfect
Thanksgiving is the time to take a break from work, the ballgames, parades and the turkey and stuffing to contemplate all that you’re thankful for. When you take a breath and step back, heartfelt thankfulness slows you down and fills you up. This is the time of year to count your blessings—all the things you might have overlooked, forgotten or taken for granted—instead of complaining about what you still need.
You’ve probably heard the old adage that practice makes perfect. And there are many habits that make the benefits of gratitude stick. Among them is developing an attitude of gratitude that boosts well-being and improves mental health.
After your feet touch the floor each morning of Thanksgiving week, write down three things you’re thankful for before beginning your day. At the end of the day, remember three things you’re grateful for that you did. Daily express gratitude to three people in your life for who they are, what they are like and what about them you’re thankful for. Seize your blessings, hold them close to your heart and don’t let pettiness or the small stuff distract you from the bigger, more important aspects of your life.
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