Gratitude adjusts the Attitude

I feel like the title of this blog "Gratitude adjusts the Attitude" is fairly self-explanatory, but I wanted to go a bit deeper.

Gratitude can help us feel more positive, enjoy good experiences, improve our health, deal with adversity, and build stronger self-belief. Being grateful should be something we practice more readily.

We live in a time where there are so many opportunities available to us, that it can be difficult to choose which direction to go in. For example, we can now work remotely, for ourselves, online, for an employer, flexibly, etc. However, the reality can sometimes be very different. When we come up against challenges, we can often feel hard done by when those opportunities don’t play out for us. Our ATTITUDE to this can change though.

By practicing GRATITUDE, we become grateful for more things in our lives and for the small things in life in particular. That cup of coffee, the pillow on our bed, or the fact you have a job, are all things we could and should be grateful for. There are so many people in this world that don’t have those things that we take for granted. Adjusting our attitude to gratitude WILL have a significant impression on how you feel.

Journaling

When it comes to Journaling, it is commonplace to write about gratitude; and yes, it is something I teach and practice daily. I always write down three things that I’m grateful for at the end of every Journal entry.

But WHY?

In simple terms, it is difficult to be negative when writing about positive things. *

Tough Times

Many people will write in a Journal when times are tough. This is why it can be so transformative to write down the things you’re grateful for because it is difficult to be negative when writing about the things in your life, that you’re grateful for.

What happens physically?

We’ve established that writing about the things we’re grateful for, promotes positivity. When we’re feeling positive or happy, our body produces some amazing chemicals, like Serotonin, Dopamine, Endorphins, and Oxytocin. All of this from simply being grateful for the day-to-day things we take for granted. It takes a small amount of effort to think about the things we’re grateful for, when the returns are so worth it.

There is a little bit of trickery about this method, but if it’s going to help you feel happier, wouldn’t you want to play that trick? Plus, producing happy chemicals will reduce stress and reducing stress is NEVER a bad thing.

The dictionary explanation of Gratitude is interesting too, because it mentions the fact that you should return kindness too.

Gratitude – ‘the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.’

That has been one of the key things that I have personally learnt from Journaling, the fact that returning kindness feels so good, it’s unreal. It almost feels selfish to do good things for others, because the feeling it evokes to the person doing the good thing, is irreplaceable.

So, writing about things we’re grateful for, not only makes us feel good, but it can also then inspire us to do good things for others too. It’s a double-whammy of goodness.

Try it out today. When you go to bed tonight, write down three things you’re grateful for. It may feel a little odd at first, but it will soon become part of what you do, and help you to adjust your Attitude to Gratitude.

Happy Journaling Friends…

* Often we write about very difficult things in our journal. It’s hugely important to end a journal entry with some positivity, or we may find it difficult to come back and journal again the next day.