Gratitude and its valuable contributions to emotional well-being

Image: Awaken Church

Written by: Celibeth Rodríguez, LCSW

For: Hispanic Family Counseling Inc. Newsletter September 2022 Edition

Gratitude is an enriching action that strengthens our emotional well-being. According to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, gratitude is defined as "action and effect of thanking". Gratitude has valuable benefits for our mental health, for example, it can help change a state of mind, it can help change the perspective of a situation. Gratitude is not only enriching for those who practice it, but also for the people around us. We can practice this action as a self-care activity, thus strengthening our mental health.

 In this article I will be sharing 3 coping skills to practice this action every day.

 1) Be thankful for a new day: As soon as we get up, our brain activates our thoughts and when we start the day practicing the action of gratitude. In activating positive thoughts, our emotions will be impacted, producing in us a positive attitude for the day that we are starting.

 2) Make a list of positive experiences: Think about the positive experiences you had, are having, or have had. Thinking about the positive experiences that we are experiencing or have experienced in our lives helps us to refresh our thoughts, face cognitive distortions and produces a feeling of gratitude, thus strengthening our emotional well-being. Remember that a positive experience can be from being able to raise your eyes and see the beautiful color of the sky, receive a call from a loved one, an achievement or experience that was positive or rewarding for you.

 3) Self-affirmations: Self-affirmations are connected with gratitude. This cognitive technique is enriching for our self-care. We can practice it using affirmations that help us strengthen our emotional well-being. For example: “Today I am thankful for having friends”, “Today I am thankful for the opportunity to be alive”, “Today I am thankful for the food I have”, “Today I am thankful for my family”.

 The contribution of gratitude to emotional well-being is very valuable and enriching. Every day we can practice this action as part of our self-care. Let us be thankful every day for the beautiful details of life, such as the call of a loved one, the food we had that day, the beautiful opportunity to be alive, among many more blessings. Let's enjoy every day of gratitude and your valuable contributions to self-care.

Reference:

https://dle.rae.es/agradecimiento