In today’s world, Positive psychology and gratitude practice have become clichés when it comes to spreading mental health awareness. Gratitude has been talked about in different settings by life coaches, psychologists, psychiatrist and even the general population, to the extent that some people even roll their eyes in disdain when they hear the world. But gratitude practice has been a part of many cultures and communities throughout the world, especially in religious and spiritual contexts. In fact, prayer in many different cultures includes gratitude and offerings. In the Indian culture, Gratitude is practiced in different ways, by offerings to our Gods and ancestors, to nature (trees, animals of mythological significance), to parents, to food, through singing hymns, prayers, and rituals, through celebration of different seasons, festivals and gatherings.
But why is practicing gratitude such a big part of our religous and cultural experiences? Why is it espoused by mental health professionals to this degree? What is the value or benefit of being grateful? Why should you include gratitude in your Inner speech?
Gratitude makes us more Present
Our minds are rarely completely in the moment and keep swinging between the past and the future, memory or imagination. This keeps in a state where we are addicted to thought, and there is a constant chatter of the mind. Even when the mind is not chattering for brief moments, it’s many times absent, or on autopilot, not really present. Most of our suffering is due to this swinging of the mind like a pendulum and this consistent chatter. Which is also why many.people claim that they can’t meditate or sit still for long.
If we learn to be present, very aware of the ‘now’, we would not be living in the mental world all the time, we would be overthinking about the future, be angry about something that happened in the past (5 hours ago or 5 years ago), and the quality of our life would improve. Practicing gratitude is a great way to start being present as it let’s you acknowledge your surroundings, the people around you and other phenomena in the present moment. It makes you aware of what you have in your life, rather than constantly chasing something in your mind, planning for the next moment and having a subtle feeling of things not being enough. Gratitude is a great way to begin to live more consciously, with greater awareness, treating the present with grater importance than the past or the future.
Gratitude deepens a sense of Satisfaction
We are always in a state of wanting something, a job, a raise, a vacation, a relationship, or wanting someone to behave a certain way or some events to transpire or not transpire. Once we get what we want, we move on to the next thing. Our gluttony has no bounds and this gets enforced by the culture we live in, which amplifies the number of dreams one can have, things one can acquire or goals one can achieve. There is very brief satisfaction and contentment in our inner world, which is always fleeting. Practicing gratitude helps us to remain satisfied and content and truly embrace life the way it is, instead of how we want it to be. Being grateful for what we have allows us to enjoy our life more, allowing the mind to settle in the now and give up the hustle and chase that our mind continuously engages in.
Gratitude reduces Stress and negative thinking
Gratitude practice has actually shown a reduction in stress levels, negative thoughts and feelings as well as an improvement in coping mechanisms. Practicing gratitude everyday, reduces our ruminavtive and anxious patterns of thought, having a direct impact on the areas of the brain responsible for stress. It is not that the external world will not through challenges at us, but our response to these challenges will change. And that is where an individual can exercise their true power and mental strength. A perspective shift happens overtime, gradually and one begins to look at stressful situations and interactions, not just as hurdles but teachers that one should be grateful for, as they are here to teach useful skills such as patience, resilience, trust and so on.
Gratitude improves ones Quality of Life
Quality of Life is dependent on many factors, one of which is mental health. Gratitude practice has a postivie impact on overall mental health, improving mood, stabilising emotions, increasing positive thoughts and decreasing negative factors for mental health. This indirectly also has an impact on one’s physical health because of the mind and body connection. Mental health affects the body’s immune system, and plays a role in the stability of major bodily systems such as digestion, endocrine or hornomonal balance, cardiovascular system, etc. Regular Gratitude practice thus, influences the Quality of Life and males it better in the long run.
At Zorbacare Rehabilitation Center, our team of mental health professionals deals with a variety of people suffering from different mental health issues- Addiction, Depression, Anxiety, Emotional instability, to name a few. Incorporating Gratitude practice in our customized therapy programs has been seen to be effective across individuals from different backgrounds, with a wide range of complaints. Addiction, especially involves an avoidant or escapist unconscious attitude, one is avoiding either the normal, the present moment, stress or their own anxiety or emotional issues. Hence, for addicts in recovery, gratitude practice has to be inculcated in their daily inner speech, for them to acknowledge what is there and how to start enjoying it. Recovery is tough, from addiction or any other mental health problem, but it is also enjoyable and one has to find pleasure and satisfaction in recovery if they wish to stay in recovery. Being grateful can be the gateway to this pleasure, so let’s begin by saying ‘Thank you’ for everything around you as well as everything within you!
-Aashna Namle