The Importance of Gratitude

grat·i·tude

ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/

noun

1 the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

I know at a young age I was never fully grateful for what I had. I didn’t care about appreciating life and the people in it. But as i’ve grown into the young adult I am today I look back and wish I had practiced gratitude more often. Going through so many life experiences has genuinely changed who I am as a person. I look at myself everyday and remind myself to be grateful for waking up and being alive. I’ve been working on not complaining about small things like how my hair looks or what clothes I own. Yes, having nice hair and nice clothes is awesome but those things are short term. Things like life experience and genuine people in your life are so much more important. When I reflect back on my life I know I had a great childhood and I was raised well. I wish I knew this at the time though, I would complain about so many things. I think its super important to stay grateful for what you have. If you’re constantly comparing yourself to others and what they have, you’ll never truly be happy. It’s so important to your mental health to realize what you have in your life and be grateful for that. I wanted to share a couple tips and things I’ve been doing to remind myself to stay grateful. 

1. Start a gratitude journal: This can be any way you want and I personally don’t have a physical journal but I write things down in my phone every day. I start with morning gratitude. Before I start my day(if I have time) I write down five things I’m grateful for. At the end of the day I write down my struggles or obstacles and also the best part of my day. I think its great to start and end your day with positivity and gratefulness. You can set up a journal any way you’d like this is just what I like to do.
2. DON’T COMPARE: This is something I reallyyy struggle with. In this day and age it’s so hard when you go on social media and not wish you had someones outfit or hair or makeup or whatever it is. I try really hard to stay true to myself and be grateful for the things I have. Someone will always be richer, have more things, all of that but they will never be me or you and thats so important. 
3. Tell people who are important to you that they are important. For me, words and actions go a long way. If someone tells me they appreciate me or are proud of me, that makes me feel really good. So why not tell people you are grateful for, that you are. I can guarantee you telling someone your are grateful for them, it will make their day. 

Although I’ve struggled with showing my gratitude and feeling it, I’ve tried really hard to be better. I always want to improve myself and my life and I think being grateful for what I have will truly help my mental health. It’s a great feeling to appreciate life and the people in it. How do you show gratitude? I would love to know, leave me a comment!

xx,

Liv