5 Reasons to Practice Gratitude

Do you experience anxiety, depression or sadness on a regular basis? If so, you might want to try practicing gratitude more often. This simple act of being thankful for the people or the good aspects of your life can instantly improve your mood and help to reset your mind over time. In fact, gratitude can affect us both mentally and physically. Even just practicing it once a day can greatly benefit your mental health. If you’ve never given gratitude a try, learn more about some of the ways it can help improve your life.

Instant Mood Booster

Gratitude is strongly associated with feeling a greater sense of happiness. As you think about good experiences, you also encourage positive emotions. As a result, your mood is quickly elevated and your mental health is improved. This simple change can make a big impact on every aspect of your life including more motivation and drive to achieve your goals and succeed in life. 

Relieves Stress

Feeling tense or anxious? Take a few minutes to close your eyes and reflect on what and who you are thankful for, even your pet! Flooding your mind with these positive images can instantly relax you and help you feel more at ease. 

Builds a Positive Mindset 

Do you feel stuck in inhibiting self-talk? Well, you can’t feel inhibited when you’re practicing gratitude. When you’re focusing on positive thoughts, you’re disconnecting from toxic, inhibiting emotions. And the more you practice gratitude, the more in tune the brain becomes with positive experiences which is the key to unlocking happiness and success.  

Drives Helpful Behaviour

This simple action also helps you to associate good feelings when helping others. Thus, gratitude also has a direct relationship with helpful behaviour. 

Develops Humility

Saying “thank you” for all the wonderful things in our lives helps us acknowledge the value of others. And by expressing gratitude in this way, you are focusing more on others around you, and less on yourself, which cultivates humility. And it’s humility that can help strengthen your personal and professional relationships. \

There are many techniques that you can use to cope with feelings of sadness, loneliness, anxiety and depression. At Ottawa Counselling, we work with clients to help them find techniques that work for them and their needs. If you’ve been struggling with your mental health or just need some help establishing a more positive mindset, our team can help. Contact us today to learn more about what we can offer you.