Informative

Gratitude: An Everlasting Thanksgiving

Every third Thursday of the month in November, American families come together and their relatives and loved ones, with everyone expressing why they are thankful for that year before breaking the bread. They call it thanksgiving. A beautiful notion indeed.

But, instead of having a bird’s eye view for the entire year, if you breakdown it months, week wise or even day-wise, you will find a reason to be thankful for every day. Consider every day as a miracle, a gift from the divine is a start for living in the notion of gratitude.    

Expressing gratitude is one of the most fruitful ways to get in touch with your inner self. When you are in touch with your subconscious, you get connected with the universe. You feel a strong interrelation with each and all living or nonliving things in the universe. And in this process, you open the door to infinite possibilities.

Gratitude is being thankful to the people, things, and circumstances in your life. It’s about counting your blessings, perceiving the simple delights in life that we take for granted and concede everything you receive. It’s about living every day as a gift from the above, always being aware of how much you have been gifted.

Science behind Gratitude

Two universities, one in Dallas and another in California, came together for an experiment. By splitting thousands of people into three groups, they ask these groups to note down specific things each night in the journal. One group had to write down everything good and bad happened with them. Another was asked to note down only the wrong things, and the third one, only the good things that happened with them every day.

Results reported that the third group showed improved awareness, passion, conviction, optimism, and zeal, reducing signs of depression, stress, aloofness, and lethargy. Group three, which has kept the gratitude list, has increased dopamine and oxytocin – the happy hormones with lower adrenaline levels are the stress hormone.  

Incorporating gratitude in day to day life

During every session, Chamunda Swamiji expresses his gratitude towards everyone. Towards Divine Mother, Almighty, his friends and family, and even towards the people who have wronged him.

We share some practical tips with you, which will help you be more genuinely grateful for your life.

-Start your day with positivity. Be thankful to the divine for the warm bed, the roof over your head, and for granting you the opportunity to live another wonderful day.

 -During the unlucky moments of the day, instead of feeling angry, betrayed, or lost, find out a small, even insignificant thing like a hot cup of Chai to be thankful for. It will help you to hop on the appreciation wagon again, making you feel positive and hopeful.

 -Recognizing people. Consciously, identify the people who make your life easier. Recall, have you thanked them today for packing your lunch, handing over the stapler, or even just holding a lift door for you? This exercise will help you find the good in people, especially in those who have wronged you.

 -Taking the next step. Recognizing helping people and feeling gratitude in your heart was the easy part. The tricky part is to be vocal and appreciate them. Could you find a way to enjoy them? Even writing a thank you on a sticky note or buying them a coffee will make someone happy.  

 -Meditation. Meditation makes you calmer and happier, helping to see the bright side of each individual, thing, or incident. 

 -Yin Yang exercise. If someone or something makes life more challenging for you, instead of growing blind anger and hatred within, just try to look for his positive qualities or situation. Remember the last time they have helped you.   

 Gratitude Journaling 

Before hitting the bed, just after waking up, or post-meditation, answer these three questions every day.

 1. What or who made you happy today? 

 2. What or who inspired you today?

 3. What or who brought you peace today? 

 Write down three answers to get some perspective on your day. You will find meaningful joy with some profound self-knowledge. Keep an open eye on things if you are noting down the same things repeatedly, indicating finding a space in your timetable for new things.

 In this fast-paced, consumerism-driven materialistic world, it’s tough to sit back, relax and introspect how much we have to be thankful for. But journaling what you are grateful for allows you to sneak a peak into your subconscious with a directional perspective.

Benefits of gratitude and spiritual transformation

-Studies show that practicing gratitude improves your mental, physical and social well-being.

-As the seeker starts to observe the brighter side in every incident, his optimism, patience, and overall happiness increases, with a notable rise in self-esteem.

-As the self-awareness towards emotions and actions increases, a seeker utilizes his energy into productive things, leading to energy conservation with heightened energy levels.

-Practicing gratitude has a direct relation with hormonal secretion. When practiced for a prolonged duration, it secretes hormones like dopamine, oxytocin, and corticoids, strengthening your immune system along with controlling the blood pressure.

-As a result of the secretion of happiness hormones, the seeker can feel a rise in his Emotional Quotient and Intelligent Quotient as well.

-As the seeker tends to look for a bright side, he starts to forgive and seek forgiveness while practicing gratitude.

-Gratitude takes you one step closer to the divine, recognizing something bigger than ourselves.

In a nutshell, gratitude is an attitude and a skill set you have to acquire with a lot of inner conditioning, practice, and constraint. But as you start practicing it, you will be able to see its rewarding effects in our spiritual and day-to-day life.

So from now on, instead of waiting for something good to happen in your life to express your gratitude, start putting the notion of gratitude in every experience you have faced till date. Make up a mind to show your appreciation for every positive or negative experience you will face in the future, for these experiences have made you the person you are today.  

Let us take this opportunity to express our gratitude and say thank you for stopping by, reading, and sharing our blog.

Thank you very much, from the bottom of our hearts!!!