7 Benefits of an Attitude of Gratitude

The saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”

This saying is a proverbial phrase used to encourage optimism and encourages a hopeful - I can do anything I put my mind to - attitude toward life. This oftentimes has its fair share of adversity or misfortune. Lemons in this case suggest sourness or difficulty in life; making lemonade is turning them into something positive or desirable.

And that’s my advice to you during time of uncertainty... MAKE LEMONADE! 

In this moment, it is very easy to slip into the black hole of misfortune and lose sight of all the other great things that are happening to and for us. I once led a life that was ruled by pessimism and negativity; my mindset was FIXED!  I was consuming the bitterness of the lemons served to me; For me, nothing was right or could go right. I was of the belief that I was not deserving of anything good or worthwhile, and for a while, the more I focused on the negatives in my life, the more negatives I found to add to my already exhaustive list of doom and gloom. It was not until one day, I came across a video by Lisa Nicholls that I decided to make a change in how I saw and dealt with the many lemons life seemed to enjoy handing to me. Today I am eternally grateful that on that day, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired of the direction my life was taking. I  took these lemons and made myself a whole pitcher of lemonade….And now I’m serving it chilled, baby!!

The change started with my mindset and then my behavior and actions followed….. In this blog post, I want to share one of the many strategies that I've adopted for the past two years to help me on my transformation journey. I am so happy to have changed my attitude to one that always finds something to be grateful for; because you know what? To be very honest, there always is…..  

Having an attitude of gratitude does not always come naturally, especially in times of strife or struggle, but having one is something we can all cultivate in our lives through practice and intention. Here are the five benefits I have experienced since adopting an attitude of gratitude.

BOOSTS YOUR MOOD

Adopting an attitude of gratitude can improve your mood. Psychologists have indicated that doing this activity can lead to an increase in one's long-term happiness by 10%.  We are all in pursuit of happiness and being grateful gives us a 10% head start so why not?....If you are ever in a bad mood I encourage you to start thinking or writing about everything you are grateful for. I have a gratitude journal and most nights before retiring to bed I write at least one thing I am grateful for. This practice has graduated to a list of ten (10) things per night. After expressing what you are grateful for I can assure you, your mood will change... Try so u don’t have to take my word for it…

IMPROVES YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

No one likes being around someone who is always lamenting about how much life sucks… People have their own worries and concerns and do not necessarily wish to be bombarded with yours all of the time. It’s natural for people to avoid persons who are always negative and gravitate to those who are more positive. You’re free to share with a friend you trust but also note that there are people who have been trained to assist you if for any reason you feel as though you’re being served more lemons than you can make lemonade..…. God bless my therapist..lol

I’ve also realized that being grateful for the people in your life and expressing it to them also results in improving your relationship...Let’s call it a WIN-WIN! You boost their mood and in turn, boost yours as well.  You will also find that your relationships improve over time as people will feel much more comfortable spending time with you. Amie M. Gordon of the Department of Psychology at the University of California led a series of studies that looked at how appreciation and gratitude influenced the relationship satisfaction and stability of committed couples. The results of the studies indicated that having an attitude of gratitude and appreciation significantly improved relationship satisfaction and stability. Not only were the appreciative participants more committed to their partners than those who were less willing to demonstrate gratitude, but they also received more appreciation. Participants who felt more appreciated were more likely to communicate their appreciation than those who felt less valued.  A nine-month follow-up indicated that these couples were more likely to still be together when compared to those with less appreciative attitudes. Gordon added, “These findings provide evidence that gratitude is important for the successful maintenance of intimate bonds.” 

Try telling someone you know how much you appreciate them in your life and see how it will improve your relationship. 

LOWERS STRESS LEVELS 

STRESS KILLS… I’m sure you’ve heard that before.  According to the American Institute of Stress; Stress is the leading cause of premature death. Adopting an attitude of gratitude helps to reduce stress levels and changes how we cope with adversity. Started looking at things differently, only choosing to focus on those things you have total control over. Robert Emmons, a well-known mental health specialist, conducted several studies on stress and health which indicated that gratitude effectively reduces stress hormones and increased positive emotions like happiness. 

IMPROVES YOUR SLEEP 

Being grateful can help you sleep better. Researchers believe this is linked to the fact that grateful people have more positive thoughts than negative ones which keep them up tossing and turning all night. Journaling has helped me in a major way as it relates to getting all my thoughts out. I just allow myself to release all the tension of the day on paper….and like I mentioned before I spend time writing down the things I am grateful for whether that may be a bed to sleep on, access to drinking water, my significant other or my mom (can’t stop being grateful for her)….  It may seem like a task at first but keep trying.  Acknowledge the good in life, and be thankful for them. Soon, being grateful becomes easier and more natural for you. 

INCREASES MENTAL STRENGTH 

Being mentally strong refers to one’s ability to effectively deal with challenges, pressure, and stressors; giving their best regardless of the circumstances. An attitude of gratitude allows for you to successfully regulate your emotions, manage your thoughts and control your behaviour despite your circumstances or experiences. Let me be completely honest, this one requires work and serious intention but I think I’ve found a way to make it work.  One question you can ask whenever faced with adversity is.. What is this trying to teach me?  You identify the lesson and then express gratitude for the ability to learn. The intention is to change how you look at the situation and you will experience a change in your response. The people who are able to effectively bounce back from adversity are the ones who have developed an attitude of gratitude.  Developing mental strength is a work in progress as there is always room for improvement, and at times, adversities are a lot to handle, but don’t be too hard on yourself. YOU GOT THIS! 

So, those were the FIVE benefits of adopting an attitude of gratitude guys. I hope this encourages you to start by expressing gratitude for one thing each day. 

Share with me what you are grateful for. 

I’ll start... I am grateful for you reading this blog post 

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, and confusion into clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” - Melody Beattie.