The pandemic has made us weary, and while it might be cathartic to make a list of all we’ve lost, all we’re tired of and all we want to leave behind, expressing gratitude is actually a better idea.
Gratitude is a powerful positive force. Far from a fluffy or frivolous concept, it has real impact on physical health, emotional wellbeing, motivation, engagement and belonging.
Here’s why gratitude is good, and how to bring more gratitude into your day.
Patience and Wellbeing
Most of us are impatient with the pandemic, and 2021 has arrived and the pandemic is still here. We were thrilled to usher in the new year, but we’re going to need to wait a bit longer until life is back to something closer to what it was before. The good news is gratitude can reduce impatience. A study published in Psychological Science found when people focused on being thankful, they were more able to demonstrate patience. In addition, a study published in the Review of Communication found gratitude has a positive impact on our mental and emotional states (optimism is an example) as well as physical health. It also predicts behaviors such as helping others and exercising. All of this means gratitude may be just what we need at the moment—while we’re hanging on—or still traipsing toward the light at the end of the tunnel.
Happiness and Satisfaction
Gratitude is also the root of happiness. It tends to focus you on what you have and replace a sense of what you might be lacking. According to some philosophers, you can’t feel both grateful and unhappy, so when your mind focuses on all you are thankful for, you’re more likely to feel joy. In addition, when you are more grateful, you tend to focus on the present—appreciating right now—and this can reduce a sense of yearning or anxiety about the future. In fact, what you’re grateful for today may be something you hoped for yesterday. In addition, by focusing on all you have, you perceive those elements of your life as growing larger. Hence, gratitude tends to give you a feeling of fullness—that what you have is enough—and this is associated with contentment.
Gratitude is also a “gateway emotion” of sorts. Philosophers over the years have suggested it’s the greatest virtue because it leads to so many others. For example, appreciation of someone can grow into love, gratitude for what you have can lead to greater satisfaction and loving your work can lead to improved performance.
Community
Gratitude is also really good for your relationships and the community of which you’re a part. Specifically, gratitude can foster friendships. A study at the University of New South Wales found when people express appreciation, others perceive that they can form a constructive relationship with them, and tend to invest and contribute to connecting. In addition, according to a study by Portland State University, when people received more expressions of gratitude at work, they reported better sleep, fewer headaches, healthier eating and more satisfaction with their jobs. Expressing gratitude tends to spread positive feelings. You feel good about something and your appreciation makes someone else feel good as well, which contributes to an emotional economy—a give and take of feelings which fosters a positive ethos of the entire group.
Expressing gratitude can also create the conditions for awe and flow. These experiences are more likely when you’re lifted out of yourself. In fact, neuroscience research highlighted in The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt finds experiences of awe and flow are associated with reduction in activity in the parts of the brain which are vigilant and self-focused. Being thankful can liberate you from a preoccupation with yourself and focus you more on the bigger picture—which tends to predict positive experiences.
Cultivating Gratitude
So how can you build your gratitude muscle—and become more appreciative? Here are some simple strategies:
- Begin and end with intention. Start each day by thinking about all you appreciate and expect from the day, and as you turn out the lights at the end of each day also consider all you’re grateful for.
- Give continuous attention. Throughout each day, find small things about which you can be thankful. Perhaps the line at the coffee place was shorter this morning or your coworker made you smile. Avoid taking things for granted. Make everything count and bring conscious attention to elements which make you glad.
- Be expansive. Ensure you’re focusing on being grateful not just for things, but for people and conditions. Perhaps you particularly appreciate the headphones which help make your workout more fun, but also pay attention to the person at the club who made you feel welcome or the fact that you have the capability to walk, lift or stretch.
- Write it down. Research at Kent State University found when you write down elements you’re grateful for, that simple act can foster happiness and wellbeing. This is probably true because it causes you to pause, focus, reflect and reinforce your positive experiences.
- Express yourself. Gratitude is both an individual and a team sport. When you share what you’re grateful for in a team environment, it holds even more power. Thank a coworker during a team meeting or provide positive feedback to a colleague during a project session. When gratitude is expressed and shared, it helps both you and the group.
Gratitude is good, and it has plenty of positive effects. It may also be what can help get us through the last miles of the pandemic marathon. Staying present, being attentive to others and appreciating all we have—just as we wait for all we want—can help us get to the finish line.
A version of this article appeared on forbes.com, posted on January 3, 2021
EXPERD, Human Resources Consultant, Jakarta – Indonesia