photo by Jackson David via Unsplash

by amelia evans, guest contributor

Do you want to be healthy, happy, and maintain excellent relationships with people around you? If the answer is yes, then you need to appreciate every little thing in your life.

Although it sounds too simplistic, being able to appreciate every little thing can significantly boost the positives in life. In turn, positivity helps you stay happy and maintain healthy relationships with people that are close to you. But, precisely what does the term gratitude mean?

In the basic dictionary definition, gratitude or gratefulness is an appreciation or feeling of contentment shown by an individual for benefits. It is essential always to practice thankfulness as it has plenty of science-backed advantages.

So, what benefits do you get when you practice thankfulness?

Thankfulness: Top 5 Ways in which it improves Your Way of Life

Here are some of the benefits of gratitude:

Improves General Health

In the past, gratefulness has been heavily linked with improved physical health. According to research, scientists have established that gratitude reduces stress and helps individuals sleep better.

Better sleep and reduced stress levels ensure that an individual stays healthy both physically and mentally. Additionally, grateful people tend to mind their mental and physical well-being as they appreciate their health more. These are some of the ways how thankfulness improves your health.

Improves Relationships

Maintaining better relationships is another great benefit of showing gratitude.

Undoubtedly, thankfulness and generosity can help create stronger bonds with the people you care most about. It's why we shouldn't hold gratitude back for special occasions only.

If people feel appreciated and cared for, they tend to reflect positive feelings towards others, thus making individuals feel more satisfied in their relationships.

Brings Happiness and Satisfaction

Do you feel unsatisfied or less happy with your life? Practice thankfulness.

Happiness is essential if you want to be more satisfied with the kind of life you are leading. But, doesn’t happiness in life come from appreciating the little things?

Grateful people tend to be happier and more satisfied with their lives as they focus on the things they have rather than lamenting over what they don’t have.

Boosts Confidence and Self-Esteem

Are you feeling less confident lately? Start showing gratitude.

Self-confidence comes from appreciating what you have and being less worried about the things you lack. Therefore, gratitude helps you appreciate and forge your own path rather than comparing yourself to others.

Additionally, gratefulness can significantly improve your self-esteem. That’s because you will develop a stronger sense of importance and value if you intentionally notice that people are good and appreciative of your presence.

Increases Resilience

Are you facing significant failures and setbacks in life? Show a little appreciation.

According to Psychology Today, gratitude is one of the critical aspects of resilience. But, what is resilience? Resilience refers to the capacity to cope or quickly recover from setbacks and failures in life.

Thankfulness is an essential aspect in controlling stress and developing mental strength to cope with these difficulties. That’s the primary reason why grateful people tend to focus more on opportunities than the consequences of their failures.

There are lots of ways that thankfulness improves your way of life. For instance, developing an attitude of gratitude boosts self-confidence and strengthens your ties with people around you. Apart from that, thankfulness improves your health. For these reasons, among others, it is essential to appreciate every little thing in life.

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