Gratitude is beyond the word thank you, which we use to express our appreciation when someone gives us a hand. Gratitude is more than that; it leads to positive emotions that serves us a better life.
According to Harvard Medical School, gratitude is when we pause for a period to notice the goodness in our lives and appreciate the things that we have either tangible or intangible.
Thus, it helps us to shape ourselves and turn into a better version where we become proud of who we are. Gratitude is about directing ourselves to the good things in our lives and being grateful for the things that we have. It is not about overlooking the bad things instead of capturing lessons learnt and turning that into developing route.
You may ask yourself does it matter to have the habit of gratitude and the answer is yes it matters because gratitude is not just about feeling good, it is about being good to ourselves which strengthens our positive emotions.
Many studies (example of Words of Gratitude for Mind, Body, and Soul by Robert Emmons and Joanna Hill) show that by empowering our positive emotions, it helps us to balance out negative emotions such as stress and depression, open us up to better opportunities, direct us to positive actions by being thankful and showing kindness toward others, support us to build a good relationship with the people around us and lead us to other feelings that bring joy, calmness and happiness to our daily life.
If we just take a moment and reflect on how fortunate we are, we will recognise how much goodness around us. Imagine if every individual practice gratitude what kind of world we will live in
The news from around the world report that people have rushed to the pharmacies to purchase vitamins during the COVID 19 pandemic to boost their immune system, they have forgotten that there is a magic bill which is called gratitude if you practice it daily you can increase your immunity and reduce your risk of disease.
Gratitude plays a huge role
Many studies proved that gratitude plays a huge role in our mental and physical health as it brings to us physically, psychologically, and socially benefits.
Research psychologists prove that gratitude is a habit that we can enhance it over time; it is like building up the habit of eating healthy or exercising. The main thing is to start creating this routine on a regular basis to train our mindset every day to be grateful.
It is the time to have a journal where we can write down the little joys that happen in our daily life. Before bedtime you can write down three things that have gone well for you.
It matters more of what you feel and experience, and it matters less what you write. Remember to ask yourself this question when you write down (Do you feel good writing that down) if not, then you need to be more specific. The best-selling author of the four hour work week, Tim Ferries, practice gratitude by focusing on four categories which are: Relationship --> Opportunities — > Great events — > Simple things.
In the last couple of months, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces sent a text message of hope and gratitude to the UAE citizens and residents.
It was a message of solidarity in the face of COVID 19 pandemic. The message was “I remain grateful for your patience, resilience and kindness in these unprecedented times….”. As you have noticed, the message stared with positive words and our focus has transferred to something optimistic no matter what your condition is.
To conclude, gratitude brings endless benefits to our lives; if we just take a moment and reflect on how fortunate we are, we will recognise how much goodness around us. Imagine if every individual practice gratitude what kind of world we will live in.
Asma Ibrahim Al Blooshi is an expert in educational teaching and technology
