During these difficult times, it is easier to succumb to undesired emotions such as sadness, anger, and fear. These disagreeable feelings often come in times of stress and trauma.
In many cases, prolonged immersion in such situations can lead to people taking a less positive outlook in life. This can be a result of mental health issues such as burnouts, anxiety, and depression, or physical manifestations such as chronic headaches and pains.
If you find yourself appreciating life less, you might be looking for reasons to have more gratitude for life. Here’s what you need to know.
What is Gratitude for Life?
Gratitude for life simply means appreciating your being in this world, what you have in life, and what you can do with it. Ultimately, showing how grateful you are for your life means using your means, emotions, and potentials to make something positive out of them.
However, don’t fall into the toxic mindset that positivity is an imperative reaction to every situation as it conveys invalidating messages. Telling people in disadvantageous situations that they “should be grateful” because “some have it worse” is not the way to go, for example.
Instead of chastising yourself and others about perfectly human emotions and sentiments, the best way to express gratitude for life is by taking an introspective approach by accepting these genuine feelings and thoughts, and when ready, work for ways to improve the situation.
Why Practice Gratitude for Life
Given this concept of gratitude for life, you may be wondering why you should take the time to practice this. When you express your appreciation for your life, here is what is bound to happen.
You Gain Self-Awareness
Taking time for introspection will give you a better understanding of yourself. In doing so, you are bound to find the root of these undesired emotions and take action. Plus, this allows you to reflect on how you conduct yourself in your day-to-day life.
You Appreciate Yourself More
When you focus on appreciating your life, you will come to appreciate yourself more through introspection. Being grateful that you are alive, you are bound to look at your positive traits, skills, and potentials.
Moreover, this offers a chance to see your flaws and work on them to make yours and other people’s lives better.
You Expand Your Worldview
Practicing gratitude for life is not individualistic. After all, you live your life in this world, composed of your environment. By being more appreciative of the world and what it has to offer, you can gain more insights about the world and the people living in it.
You can also get the urge to expand your worldview by experiencing the world more. Be it through reading, watching shows and movies, listening to music, or traveling, you can extend your appreciation of life through various means.
You Work to Uplift Others
You live your life as part of a society or a community. Because of this, being truly thankful for life means that you will want to uplift others just like you uplift yourself. Fostering fairness, equity, and justice is a great way to do this.
Give Back to the Community
Aside from uplifting others, being grateful can encourage you to help them by giving back to the community. Genuine volunteer work, charity, and humanitarian activities can definitely make a difference.
The Bottom Line
Gratitude for life is an essential practice not only as a way to improve the way you see and live in the world but also how others see and live in it, as well. So, make sure to take the time to appreciate life and all that comes with it.
