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Gratitude: Cultivating a Thankful Heart

Lady Saoirse
By Lady Saoirse
September 08, 2024
Gratitude: Cultivating a Thankful Heart
Gratitude: Cultivating a Thankful Heart

Learning to have an attitude of gratitude can be difficult, but it’s crucial, especially in difficult times. Learn how to have a grateful attitude and how to find out what kind of good things you have in your life to be thankful for.

An attitude of gratitude will get you through the darkest of times. Focusing on the things you don’t have in life will make you feel like you have nothing in life to enjoy, but focusing on what you do have will make you feel better. Thankfulness is an important attitude to cultivate, and there are easy ways to do it. Join Mysticsense to explore the importance of being thankful and how you can tackle problems- which really don’t feel like things to be thankful for- and make great things happen. Read about 20 things everybody can be thankful for no matter who they are. Yes, even you! Then learn to do our thankfulness meditation.

What is Gratitude?

Gratitude is being appreciative. We are thankful for the kindness of other people. We are thankful for good weather. We are thankful for our privileges and blessings. We are thankful for the people we have in our life. We are thankful for our victories and when our health is good. We are thankful when wonderful things like getting a new job or a reunion with a long-lost friend happen.

Are we thankful when things don’t go our way? When we go through a nasty breakup, are we able to remember we still have friends and family who love us and are we thankful for those people and their support? When we are sick, are we thankful for the fact we are healthy enough to still go to work and support ourselves even though we had to cut back on our hobbies while we are healing?

Gratitude isn’t just something you feel when everything is going the way you want it to. There is always something that could be better. An attitude of gratitude means you are thankful for the good things in your life, thankful for opportunities, and thankful for the fact tomorrow is a new day even if today wasn’t perfect. Gratitude is a mindset that is an important part of mindful living and can make you hopeful even in tough times. Even in the darkest times, you can get through and thrive. Read about how to do that here: Dealing with Dark Times Spiritually

Why Thankfulness Helps

It has been proven that an attitude of gratitude is good for your health. Psychology Today shares why. They say that when we think of things we appreciate, the calming center of our nervous system is activated. This decreases cortisol levels. Cortisol regulates blood sugar, memory, metabolism, and inflammation production. When cortisol levels go high, your blood pressure can spike, you can become fatigued, have muscle weakness, and your body can heal more slowly. Being grateful increases our health!

Focusing on what we are thankful for also increases oxytocin. Oxytocin is a hormone that is released when we are affectionate, and it aids in bonding. So, grateful thoughts release more of this hormone, and help to bring us closer to people. It helps stimulate trust, positive communication, empathy, and makes us feel more social. So, not only does a grateful attitude help improve our body’s health, but it improves our relationships. To read more from Psychology Today’s article, see here: Why Gratitude Is Good for Your Health | Psychology Today

What About My Problems?

What About My Problems?

Problems that are bad enough can make it difficult to remember that we have things to be thankful for, can’t they? Chronic illness or pain that derails your life can make you wonder why you bother to get out of bed in the morning. A drop in your income can make you feel like you are going without, and it can make you feel like there is nothing to be thankful for. Do you remember a time when you had no problems at all in your life? You might not. That’s because there are always problems to worry about, but still, we have things to appreciate.

Chronic illness or pain can make you thankful for the good days you have. It can make you grateful for the good doctors you have, who ease your suffering. It can make you thankful for the friends and family members you have who help you on bad days, and for the fact you have not been forgotten even though you can’t do as much as you used to be able to. Even if you lost some of your income, if you are getting by, you can be grateful for that. You will have more good health days, and you will have a higher income again. Problems can be solved. Sometimes you have to choose between what is right from wrong to solve a problem and you can read about that here: What’s the Difference Between Good and Evil?

20 Things to be Grateful For

Everybody has at least one thing to be thankful for, but did you know that everybody has at least 20 different things to be thankful for? Read on to find out what they are.

You Woke Up Today

Yes, you did. Every day is a new opportunity to do something good, experience great things, and spend time with wonderful people. Another day of life gives you the chance to meet goals, go places that make you happy, and learn something new. You also have plenty of new love to experience, so be thankful you are here another day!

You Have Good Memories

Even in the worst of times, there are good times, good people, and good things to remember. Every day is an opportunity to make more good memories like that. Even when you deal with divorce, fights, and struggles, you still have your good memories. Read about how to survive a best friend breakup here: Am I Having a Best Friend Breakup?

You Love Someone

Love is one of the happiest feelings on earth. The fact that you love at least one person is reason enough to be grateful. The ability to feel love for someone is part of what makes us human, makes us feel alive, and makes life worth living. The people you love can be thankful for you too!

Great Possibilities

Great Possibilities

Hope can be all you need to keep you moving forward when things seem bleak. The possibility to make good things happen can be all you need to make you feel thankful. Keep your eyes focused forward to meeting goals and making dreams come true, because you can be thankful the possibility to make great things happen is yours. Read about positive affirmations here: The Power Of Positive Affirmations

Past Achievements

Maybe you are in what some people call a “slump,” and you are sad because you are not accomplishing as much as you once did. Guess what? The fact you have already achieved great things is something to be thankful for, believe it or not. We can’t all be at the top of our game, achieving the MOST constantly. Sometimes, we are in between great accomplishments, but that’s okay. Be thankful for the great things you have already achieved.

Your Health

Your health might not be the best, but it is the best it is right now. Be thankful for every part of you that is performing as well as it is. Focus on healing what needs healed and preserving every last bit of good health you can. Crystals can be used for healing and you can read about crystals here:Crystals for Manifesting Healing

People Helping

Think of the people who have helped you in your life, and be thankful for everything they have done for you. Where would you be today if it weren’t for family, friends, teachers, doctors, and all the wonderful people who have done things to help you? Make sure to express your appreciation to them.

Music

Music brings joy, peace, and helps people to relax. What is your favorite music? Listen to it when you are feeling down, and watch how it makes you feel better. Music stimulates the brain, improves mood, and reduces stress and anxiety. That is something to be thankful for.

People Need You

Be thankful people need you. It gives you a chance to share your talents and connect with people. Is there anything more satisfying or that makes you feel more self-love than knowing you helped someone? Read about unconditional love here: Unconditional Love Meaning

Your Favorite Things

The things you collect, your best clothes, and the foods you love best of all are some examples of your favorite things. These bring us enjoyment every day and can make tough times easier. That’s something to be grateful for.

Nature

If you want one thing to be thankful for, take a walk in nature. The sunshine, birdsong, and the sweet smell of the natural world is something to enjoy and appreciate.

Technology

Cars, bicycles, and airplanes take us places and that is possible because of technology. Phones, the internet, and text phones are technological devices that help us stay in touch with the people we love and communicate with the world. It all makes our lives better and is something to appreciate.

Medical Care

When you don’t feel well, your doctor can help. Sometimes, even food is medicine and heals you. Take a moment to remember the medicines, doctors, and nurses who have helped you over the years and be thankful for them.

Pets

Our pets are life companions that become our best friends and family members. They alleviate loneliness, provide comic relief, and make us wonder what we would ever do without them. Thankfully we won’t have to. Read about your pet’s psychic abilities here: Do I Have a Psychic Pet?/ Pet’s Mystical Abilities

Sleep

What relieves stress, heals the body, and alleviates fatigue better than anything else? Sleeping does. Getting a good night’s sleep will help prepare you for nearly anything you have to face in your day. Good dreams are something else to be thankful for and you can read about some spiritual dream interpretations here:How to Interpret Dreams Spiritually

Play

The things you love to do like your music, sports, or gardening make life fun. When you are doing what you enjoy, it can make difficulties disappear. Be thankful for the fun things you love to do. They make life great.

Work

To find a career where your skills and talents positively contribute to your team can make you feel very fulfilled. The opportunity to show the world who you are and the great things you can do is something to be thankful for. Read about being your

All You Have Learned

Be thankful for all the amazing things you have learned so far. Learning shapes us, gives us skills, and enriches our minds. Be thankful for all the good things people have taught you to help you to grow into the wonderful person you are today.

Your Dreams

Dreams, even unfulfilled ones, are something to be thankful for. They give you goals to reach for and help you to move forward in life. Having dreams gives you a sense of hope and great things to do.

You

Be thankful that you have yourself and this amazing life you are living. Be thankful for how many great qualities you have, how much you still have left to learn, and all the good things you do for the world. You are wonderful, and we are lucky to have you!

Thankfulness Meditation

A thankfulness meditation can help you to focus on what you have to be grateful for, but also problem solve. Think of ten things in your life you are not happy with, and then write what you want the change to be. Next write a positive spin on it.

For example, say what you are unhappy with is “I don’t have as much time as I want with my kids.” Think of what you want to have instead but be very specific. “I want an hour a day more quality time with my kids.” Is a hectic schedule holding you back from spending as much time with them as you want? Schedules are not always easy to change, are they? So, you might not be able to get an extra hour per day with the kids immediately, but you can work on it.

What can you change in your schedule? Are the kids watching a lot of TV at night, and you want to do something fun together instead? Take them to their favorite park or restaurant instead of letting them watch TV. They might fuss at first, but if you prioritize their favorite shows, and do other things when those are not on, there you go. There is your extra quality time together. Then you can make your positive spin “I will find ways to spend more time with the kids by prioritizing quality time together over other things.”

This isn’t the same type of meditation where you sit blissfully, allowing your mind to wander around the topic of thankfulness, but an active meditation where you problem solve and transform challenges into solutions. The number one ingredient for success in this meditation is you and your ability to create positive change in your life. That is also the most valuable thing to be thankful for. You have the power to transform some of the most undesirable things into things to be thankful for.

Life can be tough, and sometimes, it can seem like you have literally nothing in your life to enjoy. Luckily things are not that bleak. There is always something wonderful to celebrate and great things to look forward to. Focusing on what you are unhappy about is understandable, but instead of letting problems get you down, find solutions so you can turn those problems into victories. Then, cherish the good things in life with a grateful heart.

We have selected the most relevant psychics for this article, you can connect with any of them and get accurate advice on this subject.

Advisor Holly
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$6.45 / min
Advisor Monica
Advisor Monica
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$1.60 – $4.00 / min
Anne Psychic Visions
Anne Psychic Visions
Toxic Relationships Anne Psychic Visions
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$2.88 / min
Ombretta
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Spirituality & Psychic Ability Ombretta
4.5
$2.05 / min
Love Reading by Mary
Love Reading by Mary
Toxic Relationships Love Reading by Mary
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$2.08 – $4.69 / min
Mystic Chesa
Mystic Chesa
Affairs & Cheating Hearts Mystic Chesa
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$1.25 / min
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