What is gratitude?
The word gratitude comes from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. Gratitude is the process of being thankful or showing appreciation for something.
When life feels full of endless to-do lists, worries, and responsibilities, practising gratitude might sound like the last thing we want to do. Some days, it can feel like there's just nothing to be grateful for. And if that's the case, that's okay too.
But gratitude isn’t about forcing ourselves to be positive when we’re going through a difficult time. It’s not about ignoring the challenges we face or pretending everything is fine when it’s not. Instead, it’s a tool that encourages us to notice and acknowledge the small moments of goodness that already exist around us, even on our hardest days. These moments could include savouring a hot cup of tea, a kind message from a friend, or five minutes of quiet before we get busy again.
And the best bit? Science tells us that gratitude can help improve our day-to-day and overall quality of life by helping us become more patient, reducing our stress, improving sleep, and helping to prevent feelings of burnout by boosting our emotional resilience.
How can we incorporate gratitude into our day-to-day?
Gratitude doesn’t need to be another task to add to the to-do list. It can be something we practice over time and incorporate slowly into our existing routines. It can be short, easy, and fit into daily life in a way that works for us.
Some ways we can try practising gratitude include:
Jotting down three things we feel grateful for in a journal, on a scrap piece of paper, or in our notes app before bed or when we wake up.
Making a mental note of what we're thankful for when doing daily activities like making a cuppa or getting ready for the day.
Recording voice notes to ourselves as a little reminder of the good things, that we can go back and listen to when we need a pick-me-up.
Writing a letter to someone who we're grateful for and sending it to them if we feel comfortable or simply using it to reflect on how they've helped us.
Taking photos of little things that we are grateful for, we may even like to turn them into a collage.
Following a guided gratitude practice video.
“For the past three years I've made an album on my phone called ‘A picture a day’. Each day I add in a photo of something from that day with the date and a caption. Occasionally, on really bad days, there's no entry but most days there's something to be grateful for. I love it because it's nice to be able to look back on this day last year. It's a great way to focus on the positive, and it's a reminder of the year. I live a little life so often it's just a photo from the day's dog walk.”
If we'd like to get a flavour of gratitude practice, we can try a gentle guided gratitude practice with Suzanne. She walks us through some simple prompts to help us connect with gratitude in a way that feels right for us. No pressure, no expectations, just a chance to give it a go and see how it feels.
Gratitude and caring
Gratitude is a great tool to help improve our mindset but it isn't about ignoring the hard stuff, and it certainly isn’t about forcing ourselves to feel thankful when things are tough. But it can offer a different perspective, helping us recognise moments of light even on the darkest days.
“I have difficulty expressing gratitude. I appreciate the spontaneous good things in life though. Little things that can bring us a smile, that distract me from the sadness of watching the woman I love and care for, slowly having the enjoyment of life sapped away by her dementia. I certainly can't show gratitude for not being able to take this illness away from her. Maybe gratitude for the time we have , yes I will celebrate that.”
We might find it encouraging to reflect on what the challenges we encounter have taught us. It could be the resilience we’ve built, the patience we’ve gained, or the unexpected acts of kindness we’ve received. We might even find ways to be thankful for the time we’ve had with the person we look after.
“There have been days where it has been truly humbling and a massive privilege to have spent very special and close moments together. We laughed until our sides ached, or cried and consoled each other with love and hugs like never before.”
Sometimes, the challenges we encounter can highlight our strengths or help to deepen our appreciation for the little things that can bring us joy. Practicing gratitude doesn’t erase our struggles, but it can sit alongside them, giving us a way to find meaning and comfort, even on the hardest days.
What’s next?
For a little extra inspiration, 30 simple things that can help us feel great might give us some ideas for things we might feel thankful for. And if we want to share what’s helped bring more appreciation into our lives, we can start a conversation with others in the Mobilise hub today.
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