Happiness is a choice to some extent, and deciding to savor the good things in life can help you feel happier. It is easy to get lost in the mundane routine of life or get stuck thinking about the negative aspects. Choosing to look at the good, and appreciate the smallest things is called gratitude.

Psychologists have found that people who practice gratitude, meaning creating more positive thoughts around their life, report feeling happy and healthy over long periods of time.

Why is this? Just the simple practice of summoning happy thoughts and appreciating small moments is making people happier. To practice gratitude, and hopefully build more positivity around your habits, it is important to understand what it is and how to do it right.

What Is Gratitude?

Gratitude is the practice of being thankful and appreciating things, people or services. To express gratitude, it does not need to be exclusive to grand gestures of events. In fact, to really see a difference in your positive feelings and happiness, it is important to let go of the notion that big life events or material objects are things to be extremely grateful for.

Yes, accomplishments and life events are important, but to only be grateful for these things is channeling all your energy into a few moments, instead of into many moments in your everyday life.

What is better? Focusing on a few moments, or being happy and positive every day? That might be a personal choice, but most folks would choose the ladder option.

Practice gratitude for small moments, every day, throughout the day. Appreciate your routine, job, the people around you, and all things that surround you. If you find it hard to be grateful for something in your day-to-day life, use that as a tool to reflect on if that thing or person is no longer serving you at which point you can make a change.

Related: How To Change Your Scarcity Mindset For A More Fulfilling Life

How To Practice Gratitude

To practice gratitude, you have to train your brain to reframe situations and thoughts, and also you need to remind yourself to be grateful.

For example, when you sit down for your morning coffee many people are already thinking about their workday and all of the things they should get started on. Instead, think about how grateful you are for taking a moment of peace to yourself. If you need to create a habit for practicing gratitude, make this moment yours every day. Try not to think about your to-do list, just focus on the moment with yourself, the morning and your coffee.

Exercising is a typical mental escape, but many folks have a hard time building positive feelings around it. When you are working out or going for a job, try to practice being grateful for your health and body. Literally smile, to cue endorphins and create a habit of feelings positive about a daily act.

One way to create consistent feelings of gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal. Make a habit of journaling every morning and every night for 5 minutes about what you are grateful for, what you want from the day or any reflections on the day. You can also set intentions for what would make today great.

There are many different prompts on the internet, but in general, write down 3 things you are grateful for and what would or did make today great. Consistently practicing gratitude every day should help you build more positive emotions and feel happier in your daily life.

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The Effects of Gratitude On Happiness

The studies around psychology and gratitude have shown that people who build positive thoughts and appreciation for their life tend to report healthier habits and lifestyles. Practicing gratitude translates from your mental health to help your life a healthier life for your physical health, such as exercising more.

Appreciating the small moments in life, over long periods of time, creates positive feelings. This idea comes from positive psychology, that people can decide to reframe their thoughts and be positive, bringing more happiness into their life.

Practicing gratitude is all about forming new habits around your views on your life. This brings up big questions about what makes life happy or feel full, what is the secret to happiness? The answer is you, and your decision to appreciate what you have created for yourself.

If you have trouble appreciating your life, that is a sign that it is time for a change. But you can still be grateful for knowing what you need, and the journey to get there. Being happy is up to you, how you construct your life and how you choose to think about it.

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