Can we, as students, utilize gratitude practices to improve our mental health?
Some gratitude practices include acts of reciprocity, writing letters of gratitude either for yourself or to share with others, bringing more awareness to the way we speak and what we say to others, and focusing our minds on positive thoughts which can improve our thinking patterns and overall mood.
Regularly practicing gratitude has been said to positively affect our emotions, quality of sleep, stress levels, and overall resilience. Showing gratitude towards others enables us to perceive a source of goodness that comes from something outside of ourselves. This is particularly helpful in recognizing the need for others in our lives and in understanding that even when we are not experiencing happiness, it still exists close to us, therefore our unhappiness is not a permanent state.
Being grateful can also help us recognize things that we otherwise don’t notice. Things as simple as the warmth of a ray of sun or the way the rain cools off the ground, or how someone’s smile makes us feel warm inside, or the way a deep breath of air is calming and awakening.
But being grateful can be more difficult than it sounds. One big reason people stop practicing gratitude or what can make it hard for people to practice it effectively is the notion of comparison. Often, we may find it difficult to be grateful for what we have because we focus more on what others have that we don’t.
When we practice gratitude, it is important to focus our energy on the things we can appreciate.
Can you take a look around you and think about everything you have in your life? That includes things that you have been blessed with since birth, things that you don’t often use or associate with your daily routines but have made you happy in the past, things that sit in the background and help you without you knowing or things that you don’t really feel like you get joy from. Can you look at all of these things, think of why you appreciate them and why you are grateful for having them in your life? And finally, can you think of why you are fortunate enough to have them in your life?
Can you then think of the things that you don’t have, the things that you may want, and appreciate that you already have more than you need? Can you take a moment during your day to stop what you are doing and take a look around you? Can you close your eyes, feel the air around you, take a deep breath, and appreciate just being?
It’s important to practice gratitude often because this helps us build other skills like empathy and compassion. These elements are important in a strong society that is grounded in a reality where people’s dependency on one another is mutually beneficial. It also relieves our stress and can give us a more positive view of the world, making us overall happier.
Starting every day off with a positive thought of gratitude and sharing that positivity with another person either with good vibes or positive affirmations is a great way to ensure we are doing our best to make improvements in our lives.