What is the Big Deal with Gratitude?

I am sure you have heard that you should be thankful for everything life has to offer, but why? And how can we be thankful when it seems like we are in our darkest moments? Recently, I sat and listened to Rachel DesRochers, founder of the Incubator Kitchen Collective in Cincinnati. The Incubator Kitchen Collective connect new food business startups to the tools they need to thrive. By providing things such as commercial appliances and plenty of space, Rachel has given many entrepreneurs a chance to enter an industry they may otherwise have avoided. Rachel so passionately spoke about gratitude as the key to her success and happiness. I want to share just an ounce of the infectious joy that she gave me by talking about gratitude.

Having gratitude in life is a skill. It is important and many research articles can back this up. Gratitude is also effective on people who suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses.

The Greater Good Magazine published by UC Berkeley wrote about How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain.

1. Gratitude can break the cycle of toxic emotions.

2. Gratitude can be beneficial even when we are not sharing it with the people and things we are grateful for.

3. You will experience the benefits of gratitude in time, not immediately. Many benefits will show up within a week, but large benefits can show up in 12 months. So, stick with it!

4. When the benefits do show up, the effects are long-lasting.

If you don't know where to start, try saying out loud three things you are thankful for every morning. Or, try writing down what you were thankful for at the end of each day. As Rachel DesRochers shared, "Gratitude can help shine some light in even the darkest situations." So, get out there and start exclaiming all the things you are thankful for!

Check out Papier for great guided journals!