Why is Gratitude Important in Positive Psychology

Have you ever thought that negative thinking could be addictive? Our thought patterns come as second nature to us. How we think, whether positive or negative, can have an immense impact on our day-to-day life. Much of the time, our thoughts come naturally, and we don’t learn how to capture each thought and ask, “Is this helpful for me?” In fact, Care Counseling states, “According to the National Science Foundation, 80% of our thoughts are negative, and 95% of our thoughts are repetitive.” No wonder we often find ourselves stuck! Why is gratitude important and a strong method in positive psychology? (Read: How to Develop a Growth Mindset.)

Positive psychology focuses on “what makes life worth living.” It looks into the science behind meaning, resilience, happiness, and well-being. Gratitude plays an important role in positive psychology because it helps us shift our mindsets from a negative one towards a positive one. 

What are the Goals of Positive Psychology?

 

Positive psychology may be a new concept to you. It is a relatively new subcategory of the field of psychology. Where psychology typically focuses on helping people find and fix what is “broken” in their lives and bringing them to a “normal” existence, positive psychology focuses on bringing the ordinary to the extraordinary. 

What Makes Life Worth Living

Positive psychology focuses on what makes life worth living. How can you figure out your meaning and purpose in life? What are your strengths? How can you develop grit and resilience? These are all questions that positive psychology explores. 

Building Resilience

Resilience can play a big role in whether or not you are successful in the areas that you want to be successful in. Failure can be enough to trip anyone up, even the best of us. However, when we grow in our resilience, then we push ourselves past our comfort zones. It is in these moments that we figure out that we can really go much further than our mind wants us to think. 

Creating a Positive Sense of Well-Being

 

Having a negative mindset can harm every area of your life. These include your relationships, career, and your own sense of well-being. Learning to turn our mindset around from negative to more positive can give us a better sense of happiness, contentment, and joy. 

This isn’t always easy; it can be difficult to break a negative mindset. But it’s not impossible. 

Promotes Positive Emotions

Gratitude will take us beyond those negative feelings. It is difficult to have a negative mindset and to be grateful at the same time. Therefore, when we choose to be more grateful for what we have, our circumstances and life, etc. Then, we are retraining our brains to look for the positives. 

How Does Gratitude Benefit Us?

 

Gratitude benefits us as moms in all kinds of ways. For starters, it helps us start seeing the good in life. Yes, I have a bunch of clothes to fold, but man, my kids are growing and healthy, and that matters. Yes, I am so tired of having to work so much, but my kids have food to eat and a roof over their head. 

We can take our mindset and retrain our way of thinking, so it allows us to focus more on the positive than the negative. 

The definition of gratitude is: 

“The quality of being thankful is a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”

The words showing appreciation really sticks out to me. It’s having the mindset that no matter what happens in my life, there’s always something I can appreciate. Whether it’s my kids, my spouse, my friends, or anything else. 

Reshapes Our Mindset 

Since gratitude is all about appreciation, choosing to focus on what you are grateful for will reshape your mind. This is especially important if you are used to having a negative mindset. 

Can Have a Positive Impact on Relationships

If you have lived with a negative mindset for a very long time, then you know it can really have an impact on your relationships. Negativity hurts our spouses, children, and other friends and family members. Have you ever been around someone who is constantly negative? Their negativity can quickly kill any joy felt in the room, it can also increase the risk of anxiety, irritation, and more. 

Therefore, when you take the time to truly focus on reshaping your mindset by having a grateful heart, then you will reap the benefits in your relationships. Maybe your spouse won’t feel like they are walking on eggshells around you anymore. Your children will begin to feel your joy and optimism. You will also begin teaching your children how to develop a grateful attitude just by watching you. 

Recenters Our Focus

Having gratitude will also recenter our focus. It takes our minds off of the negative situations in our lives and refocuses them on the positive ones. Recentering our focus is sometimes all we truly need in order to move forward with the goals we have set for ourselves. 

How Can You Add Gratitude to Positive Parenting?

 

Now that we have talked about the importance of gratitude in our own lives let’s talk about parenting. If you are looking for ways to add gratitude into your positive parenting journey, try one of these ways today. 

Model How to Be Grateful

The first step to teaching your children how to be grateful is by modeling it yourself. Start being mindful of how you are speaking. Are you constantly nitpicking? Do you have something negative to say all the time? Or are you speaking what you are grateful for daily? Are you looking on the bright side of life? Do you try to find the positivity in every situation? 

Your kids will notice your mindset and most likely adopt aspects of it for themselves. 

Take Your Child Out of the “Main Character” Mindset 

Sometimes, it is easy to fall into the “main character” mindset. This is when we begin to think that every little thing is about us and that everyone else is just a side character in our show. We need to do a better job at taking our kids out of that mindset. 

One way to do so is to encourage them to put themselves in someone else’s shows. Talk about the less fortunate. Explain what a privilege and right is. Take them somewhere to help those in need. These ideas and more can shake that main character mindset free, and in its place encourage a child who thinks about other people more often than not. 

Try Naming Three Things You’re Grateful for Every Day

One simple way to start developing a grateful mind is to write down three things that you are grateful for that happens every day. You can also encourage your children to do this as well. 

Use a Gratitude Journal

Another way to cultivate a grateful heart and mind is to use a gratitude journal. You can make your own, or you can print one off. Either way, this exercise encourages you and your child to focus on the positives of life and all the many blessings you have. 

If you are looking to try a new gratitude journal, I have created one for children and one for moms. The one for children also includes Thanksgiving memory games, thankful worksheets, and more. 

My mom’s gratitude journal is an excellent way to remind yourself every day of all the blessings you have in your life and explore the small joys of life. 

The Art of Gratitude Plays an Important Role in Your Growth

Of course, like everything in life, practicing gratitude can be challenging. This is especially true if you have had a negative mindset most of your life. Remember that gratitude may not come easily. It takes effort to change our mindsets. Learning how to be mindful plays an important role in your success with gratitude. 

However, if you want to continue to grow in your well-being and thrive in life, practicing having a grateful mind can truly help you. Have you changed from a negative mindset to a grateful one? Share in the comments your own experience! (Read: How to Explain Intrusive Thoughts to Your Kids.)