• Home
  • New? Start Here
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Real Mom Life

  • Purpose and Passion
    • Planners
    • Purpose and passion
    • Reinvention
    • Retirement
    • Starting a business
    • Volunteering
    • Working
    • Trying new things
    • Ageism
    • Giving back
    • Confidence
    • Encore careers
    • Encouragement
    • Gratitude
    • Happiness
    • Inspiration
    • Lifelong Learning
  • Adventure
    • Travel
    • Technology
    • Trying new things
    • Books and movies
    • Embracing change
    • Fun
    • Holidays
    • Pets
  • Relationships
    • Marriage
    • Friendships
    • Parenting
    • Painful parenting
    • Mothering
    • Grandparenting
    • Aging parents
    • Empty nest
    • Cancer caregiving
    • Child adoption
    • Homeschooling
    • Special needs kids
    • Life skills for kids
    • Activities for kids
  • Health and Beauty
    • Alternative health practices
    • Fashion
    • Hair care
    • Health insurance
    • Healthy aging
    • Healthy brain
    • Makeup
    • Medical issues
    • Mental health
    • Sexuality
    • Skin care
    • Sleep
    • Stress
    • Nutrition
    • Physical fitness
    • Self-care
  • Creativity and Spirituality
    • Faith
    • Crafts
    • Hobbies
    • Art journaling
    • Blogging
    • Journaling
    • Jewelry making
    • Writing
  • Home and Finances
    • Cleaning
    • Cooking and food
    • Declutter
    • Decor
    • DIY Home
    • Downsize
    • Gardening
    • Holidays
    • Organizing
    • Saving money
    • Simplify
  • Coffee Love
  • Rants, Raves and Reviews
  • Bucket List
  • Shop

Developing an Attitude of Gratitude

October 30, 2018 By Christine Field

This post may contain affiliate links.

Spread the love

Can you develop gratitude? I think so. And psychologists agree!

DEVELOPING GRATITUDE

The other day as I was driving into work, I saw the most spectacular sunrise over the tops of the trees whose leaves were displaying their spectacular color. What came to mind? One of my favorite songs by Louis Armstrong:

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

-What a Wonderful World

I didn’t always feel this way. I am no stranger to tragedy. I have known grief that threatened to envelop me.

But I realized I had a choice – my response.

I choose gratitude – and joy.

The Research

In recent years, positive psychology research has proven that gratitude is strongly associated with the emotions that can help you enjoy more significant health and happiness. It has also been shown that gratitude plays an essential role in nurturing relationships and can even inspire you to take better care of yourself. Here’s how developing an attitude of gratitude can improve your mental health and make you happier in your life.

 

Increased Happiness

When you incorporate gratitude into your daily life, you will have a more positive outlook, and you will be more appreciative of everyday things. You will be less likely to take things for granted and will be more inclined to be moved by the little things. With gratitude, your moods won’t be affected by disappointment, and you’ll be better able to see the bright side of life rather than focusing on what you lack.

 

Greater Life Satisfaction

Those you practice daily gratitude tend to be less materialistic and more hopeful in life. They are also more likely to have greater resilience and less likely to feel like they’re a victim when things don’t happen to go their way. Being able to cope better with tragedies and crisis, can help to improve your quality and experiences you have in life.

 

Better Mental and Physical Health

Research has proven that when you live with gratitude, you are less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. With daily gratitude, people tend to be more optimistic and enjoy an increase in energy. Gratitude also has a positive effect on cardiovascular health and immune health and has been shown to effectively lower blood pressure, increase pain tolerance, and have a positive impact on pregnancy.

 

Increased Self-Esteem

Those who experience heartfelt gratitude in their lives have higher levels of happiness and far greater self-esteem and confidence. Being grateful focuses your attention on happier, more positive thoughts which can help you to feel better about yourself and help you to banish negative self-talk.

 

Higher Levels of Success

Those with a grateful disposition have been shown to be more likely to achieve their goals faster. Those who hold managerial positions report that showing genuine appreciation and thanking their colleagues improve productivity and motivates.

 

Being grateful isn’t always easy, but without it, life can be incredibly lonely, depressing, and impoverished. Showing gratitude can enrich your life and energize, elevate, inspire and transform your life.

Just for today, try counting your blessings rather that dwelling on your losses. It could change your life!

Filed Under: Embracing change, Mental health, Purpose and passion Tagged With: developing gratitude, gratitude

Previous Post: « My Real Mom
Next Post: How to Let Go of a Hurtful Past »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond

    October 31, 2018 at 5:50 pm

    Hi Christine and thank you for sharing with us at #MLSTL. Gratitude is so important and like you if I see a beautiful blue sky or look at my grandsons I can’t help but be thankful for what I have and it does truly make me feel happy. Unfortunately, like many things, Gratitude has become the ‘buzz word’ and I worry that people turn off or don’t believe it works. Your post and results from pyschology research prove that it does work, we just need to keep getting the message out. Have a beautiful week. xx

  2. Janet Mary Cobb

    November 1, 2018 at 12:01 am

    Great reminders! Thanks for so much evidence that it’s worth it!

  3. Leanne | www.crestingthehill.com.au

    November 1, 2018 at 12:04 am

    I love that November is National Gratitude month – I’m sharing prompts each day on my FB page that another blogger created. Focusing on the good in life really makes a huge difference to our mental health and our general wellbeing.
    MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 🙂

  4. Mary Lou

    November 1, 2018 at 1:04 pm

    The attitude of gratitude really does work! And finding ways to express that and share it with others doubly works! I have a FB friend that does a series of sketches (I think she’s up to 500!!) that show her gratitude. Thanks Christine for sharing and I’ll be sharing on FB and Twitter for #MLSTL.
    https://meinthemiddlewrites.com/2018/10/26/me-in-the-middle-of-being-a-single-mom-2/

  5. Donna McNicol

    November 1, 2018 at 9:03 pm

    Beautifully written and powerful. #MLSTL visitor (shared on SM)

  6. Christina Daggett

    November 2, 2018 at 11:28 pm

    Thanks for this inspiring post, Christine! I love that song by Louis Armstrong, too. Counting our blessings everyday truly makes us happier people.

Primary Sidebar

FacebookInstagrammailPinterestYouTubeTwitter

Hi, I’m Christine

Have you been a wholehearted mother, but time, toddlers and teenagers have moved on? If you are wondering what comes next for you, you’ll feel right at home here.

Or, are you a mom for whom family life has been non-Pinworthy and parenting has been downright painful? I hear ya. There are many of us around.

Are you looking for a life full of exploration and adventure after the nest empties, but maybe you have no idea how to go about doing that? Stick around! We’ll explore adventures together to help you gain more clarity for your own path.

After a couple decades of writing books and articles about parenting, homeschooling and adoption, speaking to homeschoolers and other parent groups, and reaching out to the mom in the trenches who was trying to make the best of it - my kids grew up. Some grew up and grew away. I was determined to find a way out of the pain, emptiness and lack of direction.

For many of us, the journey starts with something we moms are not accustomed to. After years of caring for and serving others, sometimes we forget the beauty and wonder of US. We need to spend some time getting to know the parts of ourselves that have lain dormant, and take the time to explore interests and passions that we set aside.

I’d like to invite you to get the “What’s Next for Mom” workbook and jump into this growing tribe of Moms who are emptying the nest and filling the life! Let’s reignite your Mojo after Mothering!
Read More…

Visit my Amazon Influencer Storefront

www.amazon.com/shop/christine.field.7505

Search the Blog

Want to Search For Something?

Disclosure

Real Mom Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Footer

About Christine

FacebookInstagrammailPinterestYouTubeTwitter

At Real Mom Life, my passion is to provide resources and reassurances for moms facing the surprising challenges of family life. In my writing and speaking, I explore solutions to unexpected issues in adoption, homeschooling, special needs, and more while encouraging moms to extract the maximum joy out of each day. Read More…

Real Mom Life

Real Mom Life

107 N. Pierce Ave.

Wheaton, IL 60187

Copyright © 2021 Real Mom Life on the Foodie Pro Theme