Gratitude Module – Part 4 of 4
Psych for Life®
Gratitude Module – Part 4 of 4
Hi, I’m Kate, and this is Psych for Life.
Now that we’ve covered how to feel and express gratitude, how do we make it part of our daily life? And what happens when we just don’t really feel grateful? Let’s start with using the tools of habit formation to make gratitude part of our daily routine. Research shows that having a trait of gratitude can have benefits for our health, happiness and relationships.
So if you want to make gratitude part of your everyday routine, here are a few things you might try. Use repetition to turn a behavior into an automatic habit. Remember, the more often we engage in a habit, the more natural it becomes. So when you first start practicing gratitude, do it as often as possible. Make the habit simple and rewarding. You might not have time to write thank you notes every day, and that’s perfectly okay. Text messages are just as effective as written notes, and something as simple as deliberately smiling can even improve your mood. Use cues in the environment to trigger a behavior. Consider using reminders to help you turn gratitude into a habit.
Ask a friend to be an accountability partner. Remember that you don’t have to be thankful alone. Start a conversation with a message of gratitude. Track your habit to see your progress and figure out why you might be struggling. As part of this module, we’ve included a journey to gratitude activity that gives you several ways to track your gratitude.
How do we deal with times we don’t feel gratitude? Life can be full of truly difficult times, and it can be easy to feel like other people’s lives are going better than ours. When you feel this way, remind yourself that everyone experiences difficulty and pain. Don’t be afraid to reach out for connection with someone you trust who you feel can understand. Social support is helpful and so is acknowledging pain. Pick what’s easiest for you in the moment. This can look like doing a quick body scan or looking around you for something that makes you feel slightly better, even if it doesn’t make you feel great. Place a higher value on neutrality to relieve the pressure of always seeing the bright side. Or it could be as simple as pausing and taking a breath.
Congratulations. We’ve just finished the Gratitude module. To learn even more about creating habits in general, check out our module on habits. For more science-backed tips for improving every aspect of your life, check out our other modules here at Psych for Life.
¡Hola, soy Kate, y esto es Psych for Life!
Ahora que hemos cubierto cómo sentir y expresar gratitud, ¿cómo la hacemos parte de nuestra vida diaria? ¿Y qué pasa cuando realmente no nos sentimos agradecidos? Comencemos con el uso de las herramientas de formación de hábitos para hacer de la gratitud parte de nuestra rutina diaria. Los estudios muestran que tener una cualidad de gratitud puede tener beneficios para nuestra salud, felicidad y relaciones.
Entonces, si quieres hacer de la gratitud parte de tu rutina diaria, aquí hay algunas cosas que puedes intentar. Usa la repetición para convertir un comportamiento en un hábito automático. Recuerda, cuanto más a menudo nos involucremos en un hábito, más natural se vuelve. Así que cuando empieces a practicar la gratitud, hazlo tan a menudo como sea posible. Haz el hábito simple y gratificante. Es posible que no tengas tiempo para escribir notas de agradecimiento todos los días, y eso está perfectamente bien. Los mensajes de texto son tan efectivos como las notas escritas, e incluso algo tan simple como sonreír deliberadamente puede mejorar tu estado de ánimo. Usa señales en el entorno para desencadenar un comportamiento. Considere el uso de recordatorios para ayudarlo a convertir la gratitud en un hábito.
Pídele a un amigo que sea un compañero de responsabilidad. Recuerda que no tienes que estar agradecido solo. Inicia una conversación con un mensaje de gratitud. Sigue tu hábito para ver tu progreso y averiguar por qué podrías estar luchando. Como parte de este módulo, hemos incluido una actividad de viaje a la gratitud que te ofrece varias formas de rastrear tu gratitud.
¿Cómo lidiamos con los momentos en los que no sentimos gratitud? La vida puede estar llena de momentos realmente difíciles, y es fácil sentir que la vida de los demás va mejor que la nuestra. Cuando te sientas así, recuérdate a ti mismo que todos experimentan dificultad y dolor. No tengas miedo de buscar conexión con alguien en quien confíes y que sientas que puede entender. El apoyo social es útil y también es reconocer el dolor. Elija lo que sea más fácil para usted en el momento. Esto puede parecer hacer un rápido examen corporal o mirar a su alrededor por algo que lo haga sentir un poco mejor, incluso si no lo hace sentir genial. Asigne un mayor valor a la neutralidad para aliviar la presión de ver siempre el lado positivo. O podría ser tan simple como detenerse y tomar una respiración.
¡Felicidades! Acabamos de terminar el módulo de Gratitud. Para aprender aún más sobre la creación de hábitos en general, eche un vistazo a nuestro módulo de hábitos. Para obtener más consejos basados en la ciencia para mejorar todos los aspectos de tu vida, echa un vistazo a nuestros otros módulos aquí en Psych for Life.
How do we combine everything that we’ve learned in order to experience all the benefits that gratitude has to offer?
Kate is a certified Executive Coach, Facilitator, and the Founder of Development Corps.
She has designed and facilitated workshops, team off-sites, and training sessions on a range of topics including executive presence, trust, accountability, effective teams, coaching skills, and dealing with different personalities.
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