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It’s always easier to want more than to be grateful for the things we have. “If only I had a bigger house… I wish I had a newer car…. I need the new Iphone…. “
Most of us live in a never-ending state of wanting more, thinking we need more money, more things, bigger homes. We chase these materialistic things thinking that they will bring us happiness, however, what’s proven to increase happiness is more gratitude, spending more time with loved ones, and more experiences.
We’ve all heard the saying “Money can’t buy happiness” but believe the opposite. How can you be unhappy sitting in a Lamborghini with the financial freedom to buy anything and everything you want? Most of what we think we know about the rich is mainly from TV or social media. Truth be told, rich people aren’t any happier than the rest of us and are actually more stressed and spend less time doing things they love.
It can sometimes be difficult to look past the things we want and appreciate life for what we have. Here are eight things you can do to start learning to appreciate life and stop wanting more.
Keep A Gratitude Journal
I’ve recently started getting into journaling. Believe it or not, journaling improves immune function, reduces stress and can put you in a good mood. I find it very relaxing and a great way to end the day. There are two journals that I am currently using; my 52-week goal journal and my Let That Shit Go journal, like I mentioned in this post. I absolutely love both and highly recommend them if you are new to journaling.
Spending 5 minutes before bed writing in your journal seems like a small habit but can make such a difference in your life mentally. Keeping a gratitude journal helps you see things in a different light and makes you appreciate the things in your life whether its materialistic or memories. Writing about things or the people in your life you feel grateful for shows you that sometimes the things that make you the happiest are free.
Volunteer
Volunteering is such a great thing to do – not only does it benefit others, but it’s also great for your mental health. I’ve read that when you help others, it promotes positive physiological changes in the brain associated with happiness. These rushes are often followed by longer periods of calm and can eventually lead to better well-being. Along with being great for your mental health, volunteering also brings fun & fulfillment to your life while also teaching you to be appreciative of what you have.
Volunteering really has changed my perspective on life. After volunteering and seeing the difference I can make in someone’s life, I’ve realized that none of the materialistic things even matter. I’m healthy, my family’s healthy, I have a job and I have a roof over my head. The feeling after helping someone in need is so rewarding, and it’s given me such gratitude for everything that I have. Helping others truly does help yourself.
Express Your Gratitude
Sharing your gratitude with your loved ones can only increase your feelings of gratitude. Not only does sharing happy thoughts and appreciation make you feel good, but it also strengthens relationships and makes their day a little brighter.
Whether it’s in an email, text, phone call or in person, a little appreciation note can quickly turn someone’s bad day into a good one. Misery may love company, but happiness is far more contagious.
Find The Good In Everything & Appreciate It All
When you’re a positive person, you feel better about life in general. Optimistic people tend to be happier, less stressed and less depressed. There’s always an upside to every challenge thrown your way, so focus less on the negativity and more on the little bit of positivity from the situation. Negative emotions heavily weigh the mind, causing you to replay the scenario repeatedly in your head – which can drive you nuts. Learning to look at the glass half full rather than half empty will help you appreciate even the smaller things in life.
Improve Your Happiness In Other Areas Of Life
Happiness effects so many aspects of your life. Happier people are more productive, have a healthier lifestyle, are less stressed, and may even have a higher life expectancy.
When you’re in a depressed state of mind, its easier to have negative thoughts and see the bad in everything. You become angry, ungrateful and unmotivated to do anything.
Focusing on doing things you love and things that will make you happy allows you to start appreciating things around you. Whether it’s working out, spending time with loved ones, or finding a hobby- try incorporating a few minutes a day to your favorite activity and watch how differently you start to see life. You start to appreciate life more and all the thing’s life has to offer when you are overall happy.
Create Visual Reminders
Visual reminders help you focus more on the things you have rather than the things you don’t. Some of the biggest obstacles of being grateful is either forgetting or failing to be grateful. Having visual reminders around your home will help you grateful things you normally wouldn’t. These reminders could be photos from travels or from your favorite memories, objects around the house, people and even pets.
Quality Family Time
Life goes by fast, especially when you have kids and work full time. Squeezing in time to spend with family helps strengthen relationships and creates memories.
There are so many things you can do with family like playing a board game, watching a tv show or eating dinner together, going for a walk or even going for a car ride together. Put the phone down, spend a few minutes each day with your loved ones and tell them you appreciate them. If there’s one thing you should be grateful for, it’s for having a family.
Gratitude is the “canvas” of your life: living a life with gratitude helps you get though life’s tough times, makes you happier and keeps your mind and body healthy. These are just 8 out of the hundreds of little things you can do to practice being more grateful for life.
