The obstacles for the well-being are fear, greed, anger, hatred, and all the negative emotions that can arise in us to prevent us from experiencing peace in our hearts.
I could explain this subject in five minutes because it’s overwhelmingly simple. For me, it is clear that being grateful is the key to my happiness. Something that costs so little and can completely transform our day and have a powerful impact on our well-being.
The question is, can you use awareness to improve the quality of your daily life by suspending your thoughts when they are not related to gratitude or compassion? Let’s see it.
But first… What is gratitude?
Gratitude is an attitude. Happy people actively exercise gratitude and choose to live with a feeling of gratitude.
Some exercises can help you practice an attitude of gratitude daily. They will not take too long, so there is no excuse to start practicing it now!
-Establish a purpose to keep a Gratitude Diary. Every morning, begin the day by writing down 3 to 10 things you are thankful for, both large and small.
-Set your stopwatch for three minutes and sit still. Think calmly of everything you appreciate freely, without any modification, and do not worry if it makes sense or not. For a week, write a thank-you note each day to tell someone how much you appreciate them and why.
-Practice self-appreciation. Take time for seven days in a row to write you a note of gratitude.
-Think twice. If a negative thought comes to your mind, analyze it. Is there anything valid in your thinking that you can use to change your situation?
-Don’t skip your Sadhana. Your Sadhana is your spiritual practice, and you can include the mat, meditation, dieting, etc. Everything that you do for your spiritual practice is your Sadhana, and there are no days off for Sadhana, ever. You don’t take a day off in giving thanks to God.
Gratitude makes us aware of the blessings present in our life moment by moment. There is always something to be thankful for if you are fully involved in what is happening right now. Sometimes we spend a lot of time worrying about what happened (past) and what is going to happen (future).
Benefits of Gratitude:
-Feeling more connected to others makes you feel less alone.
-Gratitude gives you a stronger immune system.
-You have a better emotional balance.
-You sleep better.
-Increase energy.
-More confidence in ourselves.
-Less stress in our lives.
-We are more attractive.
-More creative.
-You can face difficulties better.
In summary, gratitude makes us aware of the blessings present in our life moment by moment.
I know it is not always easy to smile at life, but every day we can say thank you for being alive, breathing, for the food… You have to practice this attitude of being grateful every day until it becomes a routine. Your vision of life will change positively. I promise!