Today is World Gratitude Day! Take a minute to think about what you are grateful for right now. It could be anything from having a lovely cup of coffee to being given a promotion at work. It doesn’t matter the scale of what you are grateful for, but it is really important to take the time to think about and appreciate whatever that is. For me, today I am grateful for the beautiful Autumn blue skies that we’ve had in England today; this is my favourite time of year when we have cool, crisp and sunny days.
The definition of gratitude is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness”. Studies over recent years have found multiple benefits to practising gratitude, from reducing materialism among adolescents to employees feeling motivated to work harder. Personally I have found this practice stress reducing and feel like it has improved my overall outlook of my life. It’s hard in the fast society we live in to take that step back and realise how well you’ve completed something, or to recognise a small act of kindness from a stranger. But it’s amazing when we do open our eyes up to noticing these things how much it lifts your overall mood.
“Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.”
Amy Collette
Practising gratitude is something that’s so important to try and make time for during your day, as it is such a huge boost for our mental health. I highly recommend using a daily journal to note down what you are grateful for about your day, which is something I have been trying to do for the last 2 years. I use The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin which is a 5 year record, which is super fun as each year you get to look back at what you were grateful for on that day over the last few years. I’m not going to lie there are some days when I can’t find the energy to fill this out in a meaningful way, but I have found it a really useful tool to try and drive that reflective practice into my daily routine.
You can find Gretchen Rubin’s ‘The Happiness Project’ at the below location;
The Happiness Project One-Sentence Journal: A Five-year Record
Medical studies have shown the positive impacts of adding a gratitude practice into your day applies to both well-functioning people and to those who struggle with poor mental health. For an interesting read on gratitude by Harvard Medical School discussing the health benefits of practising gratitude and some tips on cultivating this emotion, visit https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier
As ever, I would love to hear your comments and thoughts on gratitude so please don’t hesitate to get in touch via my contact form or at thefemaleengineerblog@gmail.com
Emilie
The Female Engineer
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