Cultivating Gratitude: The Benefits of Being Thankful

As human beings, it’s natural for us to focus on the things that we lack in our lives, rather than the abundance of blessings we have. This tendency often leads us to compare ourselves with others, who may seem to have more or better things than we do. Besides, when we are preoccupied with what we lack, we tend to overlook the abundance of blessings that surround us every day. It’s easy to get caught up in our daily struggles and forget to be thankful for what we have. However, cultivating a gratitude mindset can have a profound impact on our overall well-being and happiness. When we intentionally focus on the good things in our lives, we begin to shift our perspective from scarcity to abundance, from negative to positive, and from stress to joy. 

We are taught to give thanks to God for our blessings and to recognize His hand in our lives. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we are told, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”. Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful and showing appreciation for what we have. When we practice gratitude, we focus on the positive aspects of our lives and acknowledge the good things that we often take for granted. I can tell you from personal experience, cultivating gratitude has numerous benefits for our physical, mental, and emotional health. 

Who can resist a little 2-year-old that says, “Thank you”? The tone of their voice and those simple words always seem to melt my heart and I want to do whatever it takes to have them say it again. I still feel the same way as my children have gotten older and they make an effort to express gratitude by saying “thank you” for anything I have done for them. No matter how I have been feeling at that moment, hearing the words “thank you” change my thoughts into something positive and I feel one notch happier. Some of the happiest moments in my life have been when I receive an unexpected gift or note of expression of gratitude from someone. I feel a greater sense of joy as I know they appreciated it. 

Now think about our Heavenly Father and how He must feel when we thank Him for the little things. Our Father is so willing to share His love for us and give us all the blessings He has in store, yet why do I forget to thank Him for the little blessings that I take for granted?

In Doctrine and Covenants 59:7, we are told, “Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things”.  This mortal life has distractions that grab our attention away from the spiritual connection we have with our Father who created all things and blesses us with everything. My experience as a mom and grandmother has helped me connect with how Heavenly Father must feel when all His hard work and blessings go unnoticed. Like Heavenly Father, I don’t serve others for recognition of accomplishments, I do it out of love, and when someone expresses appreciation, I am humbled to receive their gratitude, and I’m more willing to help them again or do things for others without them expecting it. 

By practicing this with my loved ones, gratitude can improve my relationships with them. It’s within the act of expressing gratitude toward others, we strengthen our connections and build stronger bonds with them. And as I said, when they communicate their feelings of gratitude towards me, I feel more willing to help them with tasks, it’s because that expression of gratitude helps me increase feelings of empathy and compassion.

In my journey through life, I have become more aware of how I feel when I receive an expression of gratitude so that I can be more vigilant in my own gratitude practice. I make an extra effort to try and notice what others do for me; their actions, their kindness, their way of reaching me, and how it blessed me at that moment and how I felt about it. This awareness has helped me understand how the spirit of the Holy Ghost can prompt someone to act in a time of my need. When someone has gone to the effort to write me a handwritten note of thanks, I am “that person” who keeps the card in a special place because it means a lot to me. 

How do we cultivate more gratitude in our life and make it a daily practice? I like to think of gratitude as a muscle that gets stronger the more you exercise it. One practice that really helps me cultivate feeling more gratitude is sitting down and listing all the current blessings I have. I ask myself, what am I enjoying in my life right now? What brought me joy today? Who has been an inspiration to me? How have I grown in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding? Another practice I use are these journal prompts “I am grateful for…” and “I am so proud of…” to help me start thinking of ways that deepen my feelings of gratitude. 

I also want to share a few ways that I use in my daily gratitude practice: 

The morning routine:

  1. Prayer of thanksgiving for the night and for the upcoming events of the day. 
  2. Getting ready for the day, Thank your body for its strength and all it does for me voluntarily. 
  3. In exercise or physical activities, thank your body for moving and doing what you want it to. 

Midday: 

  1. At each mealtime, inhale the smells and aroma of the food before you. Think about the effort that went into that meal preparation. Express gratitude for the food you have to eat and allow it to nourish your whole body. Eat slowly and with intention. 
  2. Take notice of the world around you and what you appreciate at that moment. Pay attention to nature and the seasons outside, be present in your surroundings, and be aware of the activities you are doing. 
  3. As you interact with people, become conscious of who you are talking to, what they are saying, and how they influence you. Be an active participant in the interaction.

In the evening routine:

  1. Take time to write down 3 wins or victories of the day in a journal or notebook. Celebrate the accomplishments of the little victories that happened throughout the day..
  2. Rub or lotion your feet or hands with gratitude for all the work they have done for you that day. Give thanks to your body!
  3. Prayer and meditation of thanksgiving for the day and offer yourself grace for those things you didn’t accomplish and a recommitment to being intentional next time. 

Try out some new ways to incorporate gratitude into your life, try out some of these tips to get started:

  1. Keep a gratitude journal – Each day, write down three things you’re thankful for. These can include anything from an event, to enjoying a meal, or talking with a supportive friend. 
  2. Practice mindfulness – Take a few moments each day to focus on the present moment and appreciate the world around you. This exercise can reset your mind from feeling scrambled by life’s pressures. This is a mind-clearing practice that can take any form, from a simple walk around the block or spreading a few minutes of quiet meditation. 
  3. Express gratitude towards others – Take the time to thank the people in your life who have made a positive impact on you, or when they’ve done something for you that really supported you in a moment of need. Be intentional when you express these feelings. A simple thank you, can go a long way. 
  4. Volunteer time – Serve others with your time, talents, and treasures. Sharing your abundance of resources with others is one way to express gratitude for what you have been blessed with. 

These are just a few ways to increase your feelings of gratitude and better incorporate gratitude into your life. This can become a powerful tool in your life to improve your overall sense of happiness. Remember, gratitude is a practice that can be developed over time, so don’t be afraid to experiment and find what works best for you. 

As I have made gratitude a regular practice of mine each day, I have felt the benefits of a thankful heart. I have improved my relationships with family members by increasing feelings of love for their effort and feeling more patient. Gratitude has brought me so much more joy as I daily seek for things I appreciate around me. Expressing gratitude in my personal prayers has opened my eyes to see myself and others the way God sees them and their divine potential. When I focus on what I have, I feel a deeper abundance to grow and expand. It changes my mindset from scarcity to abundance; helping me fulfill dreams that I want to strive for. I feel a deeper joy in my journey of life as I cultivate a gratitude attitude.