What is Gratitude?

On the surface, we believe that when we say the words ‘thank you’, we are showing that we are grateful. However, it is not just limited to that. Gratitude is a warm feeling we have, it is an acknowledgment and appreciation for what we have, whom we have, and all that we have in our lives.

Gratitude is the conscious effort we take to be mindful of ourselves, others, and their actions, without comparison.

Gratitude makes our lives just a little more manageable. It does not mean that we would always be happy, it means that difficult situations can seem a little less daunting. Especially if we can take a moment to notice the things we have, the people we hold dear, how far we’ve come, the roadblocks we’ve overcome, and how we have grown over the years.

Gratitude brings joy, empathy, encouragement and respect to our lives.

But that’s not the only thing it brings in. At times we might get irritated, annoyed, angry, even helpless with the things that we are grateful for. That is okay too. Only things that truly matter to us can cause us that much turmoil. It means we truly care about them. So it’s important to know that these feelings can co-exist.

Gratitude does not mean we will always be happy, it does not equal happiness. You can be grateful and also feel alone, be exhausted, sad, annoyed, feel stressed or a number of other things. Feeling all this is what makes us human.

Research has shown that practicing gratitude is beneficial not only in the moment or for a specific situation but can have an impact on our lives in the future as well.

We can truly, pay it forward!

Its practice has been linked to more joy, happiness, and being able to savor experiences. It improves health, helps us deal better with adversity, and even strengthens relationships.

We often take on a cynical approach to life, we focus on the things we do not have and neglect to appreciate what we do have. Being grateful can also help us be a little less cynical.

In day to day terms, we could be grateful even when a test we were not ready for gets postponed, or when we happen to get the last ticket to a movie, or when we hear our once-favorite song on our playlist again after ages or even when we find out that we didn’t actually finish the ice cream last night!

It can mean something different to each one of us and we will experience it differently too, so tell us

How would you describe gratitude? What meaning does it hold for you?

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