Living In Gratitude: Express Gratitude
The expression of gratitude is a kind of meta-strategy for achieving happiness. ~ Sonja Lyubomirsky
Gratitude is many things to many people but it is so much more than simply saying ‘thank you’.
- Gratitude is wonder.
- It is appreciation.
- It is looking on the bright side after a setback.
- It is thanking the people who support you.
- It is noticing the incredible abundance in your life.
- It is counting blessings, savoring, and not taking things for granted.
- Gratitude is living in the moment.
But whatever gratitude means to you, expressing that sense of wonder and appreciation for life moves us toward a state of happiness.
8 ways gratitude boosts happiness.
1. Gratitude promotes the savoring of positive life experiences
2. It bolsters self-worth and self-esteem
3. It helps cope with stress and trauma
4. It encourages moral behavior (helping others)
5. It builds social bonds, strengthens existing relationships and nurtures new ones
6. It minimizes comparisons and the ‘keeping up with the Jones’s” mentality
7. It diminishes and deters negative emotions such as anger, bitterness, and greed
8. It prevents us from taking the good things in life for granted
So, take time each day to cultivate and nurture your personal happiness through the expression of gratitude.
May your day be filled with gratitude and good things.
Excerpts taken from "The How of Happiness" by Sonja Lyubomirsky
