Importance Of Expressing Gratitude

Expressing Gratitude Is More Than Saying Thank You

By Marla Enhelder, PhD

Mar 13, 2013

Gratitude is many things to many people. It is wonder; it is appreciation; it is looking at the bright side of things; it is abundance; it is thanking someone; it is "counting blessings." It is savoring; it is not taking things for granted; it is present-oriented. The average person often associates gratitude with saying thank you for something they received or a kind gesture. However, gratitude is much broader. I invite you to consider its numerous benefits and how you can regularly incorporate the practice of gratitude in your life.

Practicing gratitude can easily transform the way you think and feel about your life. In fact, it is a tool for happiness that has been causally linked to emotional, relational, and physical benefits. Those who are consistently grateful have been found to be more optimistic and satisfied with their lives, happier, more energetic, more hopeful, more helpful and empathic, more forgiving, and they report experiencing more frequent positive emotions. Furthermore, the more a person is inclined to practice gratitude, the less likely he or she is to be depressed, anxious, fearful, lonely, or jealous and more likely he or she is to experience greater self-worth and self-esteem. Gratitude can also help build social bonds by strengthening existing relationships and nurturing new ones. Not only are there emotional and relational benefits to gratitude, physical health is also elevated through the act of gratitude.

For gratitude to meet its full healing potential, it needs to become more than just a practice we engage in during the season of Thanksgiving. We have to learn a new way of perceiving our