Gratitude is to appreciate the things that we generally take for granted, like having a place to live, good food, healthy environment, caring family and friends and so on. It takes a moment to reflect on how fortunate we are when something good happens — whether it’s small or big.
We feel short of words to describe feelings of gratitude: may be thankful, lucky, fortunate, humbled, or blessed.
Gratitude meditation is a type of meditation that focuses on expressing gratitude for the things in your life.
One might practice gratitude meditation while they wait for their morning coffee to brew, for example. Gratitude meditation is “a simple way to meditate” because at its core, all you have to do is just “reflect on all the people and things you are grateful for”
It is important to note that gratitude is not just about being thankful for the good things in your life, but it is about being thankful for everything in your life. There are things in your life which might initially seem bad, but upon further reflection actually, give you an opportunity to learn and grow. “Open the meditation to include neutral people, difficult people, and even enemies- until you extend sympathetic joy to all beings everywhere, young and old, near and far”
Benefits of Gratitude Meditation
- Decreased levels of depression
- Trust in strangers
- And even increased sleep quality
- Increased levels of happiness
- Higher levels of well-being which serves as a protective factor in the face of certain traumatic events, as well as a protective factor against risky behaviours