How can gratitude improve your mental health?

Whether it’s saying ‘Thank you’, or another gesture of kindness, taking the time to engage in some acts of gratitude can, indeed, help you live a more fulfilled life

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Calmer

Gratitude is essential if we want to see good in others, in ourselves, and in the world. We live in a world that is characterised by economic woes, insecurity, and health issues and simple acts of kindness, or making the choice to return kindness, can help improve mental well-being. When people are grateful, or take the time to show gratitude, this can lead to mental, physical and emotional benefits – here are five ways gratitude can improve your mental health.

Eased stress and depression

Gratitude generally helps one develop resilience to depression and the likelihood of stress. Developing an attitude of gratitude helps you realise the good things around you rather than focusing on the negative and all that might be going wrong around you – for example, try to write down at least three things that made you smile, or be grateful, during the day.

Mention the reason why they might have happened and how you felt. Doing this for a week, or making it part of your life, will help you see the good in life. Indirectly, this will help you feel less depressed and you will surely see considerable improvements in depression and happiness levels.

Increased positivity 

Ungratefulness is a stealer of joy and contentment – unfortunately, many people are unaware of this. When people fail to show thankfulness, even for the smallest things in life, this cultivates negativity in their lives.

However, when one is more grateful, it helps to increase happy hormones like dopamine and serotonin. These improve mood and promote calmness and wellness. They help one stay optimistic which makes dealing with challenging situations in life easier, and can also reduce feelings of loneliness.

Make the choice to be grateful, or engage in introspection using some of the different reflection models available to help you discover what’s hindering you from benefiting from gratitude.

Enhanced intentional thinking 

We commonly minimise gratitude to the mere thing of saying ‘Thank you’, but the power of gratitude can, indeed, alter our thinking patterns. Intentional thinking can help us perform more acts of kindness, which can lead to more satisfaction in life. People who are more grateful in life are more intentional in their thinking. They will not do to others what they wouldn’t want to be done to them.

Being grateful can also make us more patient, compassionate and empathetic. Gratitude will allow us to see the good in others rather than focus on their negative aspects. In the long run, you will start being more understanding towards others, and more welcoming, which will improve your mental well-being.

Increased happiness 

Expressing gratitude brings about happiness. It cultivates an opportunity to experience more positive emotions in both those extending and receiving the act of kindness. Many studies show that people who are thankful in daily life, and keep records of the things that they are grateful for, experience greater levels of happiness. 

Research also shows that gratitude has a longer impact on the brain and mind which cultivates prolonged happiness. Therefore, an intentional choice to be thankful in life can directly improve your happiness.

It attracts good 

Showing appreciation can attract good things to you. In a study that analysed fundraising activities it was found that the group where the organiser sent out a message of gratitude received more calls the next day and people made more contributions.

With this in mind, it’s important to recognise the value of gestures of gratitude, and how this not only enhances relationships but also attracts positive opportunities. 

How to cultivate gratitude

There are many simple ways that one can cultivate gratitude, and here are a few simple steps to get you started: 

• Make a conscious choice to count your blessings each day.
• Show thanks and appreciation whenever you receive something good.
• Keep a gratitude journal to remind yourself of all the good in your life.
• Choose to see the good, even in challenging scenarios.

Remember that your choices can also influence and empower others to tap into gratitude in their lives too – start creating that positive ripple effect today.