What is Gratitude?

I wanted us to take a moment to talk about gratitude…

What is it?

Why does it matter?

How can I practice gratitude more?

I had a chance to discuss this topic with some clients this past week, however I think we all could benefit from thinking about gratitude a little more each day.

At the core, gratitude is about appreciating each moment/thing/person/activity and treating them as meaningful.

Gratitude is a deep thankfulness.

We can find gratitude in the big things…and the small. And sometimes we will realize the “small” things really are the “big” things.

We can find gratitude in the journey…the lessons…and the day-to-day.

We can find gratitude in the air we breathe, the roof over our head, and the food we get to eat.

Gratitude doesn’t mean we forget, ignore, or invalidate what’s going wrong…it just means we also acknowledge what is going right.

It matters because…well, when we look for the good, we tend to find the good. When we look for the bad…we tend to find the bad. When gratitude exists and is exercised, it becomes a bit more difficult to get stuck in toxic cycles and negativity.

It can build your happiness, increase self esteem, have better sleep, reduce anxiety and depression, increase resiliency, and increase overall hopefulness for the future among other benefits.

We can build our gratitude muscle in many ways…

Gratitude lists…volunteering…writing a letter of thanks…having a heartfelt conversation…mindful walk…

Check out these links below for gratitude exercises you can do, Dallas volunteer opportunities, and research on the subject :)