Cultivating Gratitude: The Power of Thanksgiving in Everyday Life

We've heard so much about gratitude in the last few years, and there is a good reason for it. Practicing gratitude every day is a health-giving, positive habit to cultivate.

Usually, I journal every morning and start with a paragraph of all I am grateful for. This helps me drop out of my head and into my heart, where I journal back and forth with God, or you might call it that presence, a quiet, still inner voice.  I ask questions, and wait for answers that flow through the pen onto the page. Then follows a back-and-forth dialogue. 

It is incredible to me, the love I receive that encourages, enlightens, and strengthens me.

Recently, however, deadlines piled up. Instead of journaling, I went straight to the computer, telling myself I’d get to the journaling later. The problem was that I never got to the journaling, the gratitude list, and day after day went by.

I started feeling tired and achy with sore joints and a persistent sharp pain over my right temple. I rarely get headaches, so I knew it was because I was worried. My mind was dwelling on fear, and it was why I was physically hurting.

I realized I needed to check in with God, to surrender all my fears, to be held in love, and to express gratitude for all the good I have in my life.

When I returned to the daily gratitude journaling practice and felt safe and connected again, my aches and pains disappeared. I was able to let them go into the arms of the beloved, replaced by love and confidence, that no matter what life threw at me, I was not alone, and I had so much to be grateful for.

How Practicing Gratitude Changes Your Perspective and Reduces Stress

When our minds are stressed and worried, we miss the positive things God is doing in the background, in the supernatural.

Practicing gratitude and being thankful changes everything.

Seeing the good raises your energy and shifts your mindset. You see the truth about your situation and the miracles going on around you in your everyday life, despite the hardships you might be going through. It could be as simple as smiling at someone as you walk down the street, and they smile back, a joy that a total stranger and you can have that lovely moment together.

St Teresa of Calcutta said, “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.“

When your mind is beset with fear, anger, resentment, and insecurities, you cannot see the beauty in the moment. It's there; sometimes you have to look for it. Cultivating gratitude helps you do that.

How Worry and Fear Block Gratitude — and What Helps

The apartment we live in is a joy for me every day, from the lighting at night on the curved pathways adorned with tropical plants to seeing the palm trees silhouetted against the early morning rising sun, or how the brick paving is so intricately designed and displayed. I am grateful for the creativity and thoughtfulness that went into the design and landscaping of these buildings and grounds.

The miracle is that I am here, and what was I doing? I was worrying about things beyond my control, and that might not even happen. What a waste of my precious time. Many people do not have an apartment and live on the street, in a shelter, in a subway, or in a war-torn country, with the constant fear of being bombed.

How Gratitude Helps Mitigate Past Hurts Without Ignoring Them

The Roman philosopher Cicero wrote, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” When I look back on my life, I do so without regret. I see the richness, the lessons, and the strength gained through challenges.

Gratitude can mitigate toxic emotions such as envy, resentment, and regret — emotions that eat away at our happiness.

This doesn't mean we don't heal such issues as trauma that need to be addressed. We do that when necessary with someone who can help us through difficult things. Practicing gratitude is like a natural upper; it is an integral part of our day to keep us healthy in mind, spirit, and body.