Being Grateful amid Covid – 19

The society in which we live today has caught up us in hustle and bustle, that we have not even a single minute for ourselves. We don’t have time for our family, friends, colleagues, and loved ones. The hectic lifestyle that we have adopted, has disrupted the social relationship at the foremost. Lack of communication, love, misunderstandings among relationships have been observed adversely. At this time of crisis, everyone has confined themselves to their homes, one can utilize the time with their loved ones which could not have been possible in normal days. Covid-19 has taken such a great toll on our lives; how things were done, how we believed the world goes, how we saw everyone working, travelling. Everything has changed. The pandemic has given the world a new definition. Let’s spend time with family members and express our gratitude towards them.

Let’s express them how significant they are in our lives. Let’s forget all the bitterness and give a fresh start to the relationships which have weakened over time. To give a fresh start to the relationships, there is nothing better than gratitude. Gratitude is considered as one of the most underestimated ways anyone can apply to promote happiness and positivity in their lives. It is also seen that people vary in the degree to which they experience and express thankfulness. Instead of waiting for someone to express gratitude, be the first one to express your thankfulness to your loved ones (god, nature, parents, friends and colleagues). There are numerous ways in which one can express gratitude and thankfulness towards their loved ones. One of the easiest and most effective ways is to just say “Thank you” with a smile. When your mother cooks a meal for you, when she takes care of your small needs, when they assist you during a hard time- Do not forget to say “Thank You”. Spending time with your parents is another way to express gratitude and love for them. It is now the time to take care of their necessities as they did when you were a child. Researchers have demonstrated that when someone expresses gratefulness towards other people, they tend to feel happier, calmer and as a result, it opens up various ways of goodness and positivity to enter into their lives.
How we can forget the friends? They hold a special place in our hearts as they are the ones who will always be by our side whenever we need them. We cannot imagine living in this world without friends. Thus, it is important to express our thankfulness towards our friends, those who have helped us when we needed them. Writing an appreciation letter expresses your feelings for your friend, how much they mean to you in your life. Studies demonstrate that gratitude shows its significance as a practice that is, making conscious efforts to count one’s blessings and hence can also be cultivated. Moreover, the affirmation of goodness is spontaneously generated from within.

Benefits of Gratitude

1. Gratitude enhances the ability to deal with stressful life events, develops a sense of confidence when confronted with difficulty, and has proved to have long-lasting effect on your ability to be resilient.
2. Improves a sense of well-being.
3. Enhances healthy and more fulfilling relationships.
4. Gratitude is also observed to cultivate other virtues like patience, humility, and wisdom.
5. Moreover, gratitude is a deeper feeling of appreciation for someone (or something) that produces long-lasting positivity and pleasure both physically and psychologically.

Practical Ways to Cultivate Gratitude
The growing evidence of research shows gratitude as a key to health, happiness, and healthy relationships and can be cultivated with consistent practice.
Below are the various strategies for cultivating gratitude:
a. Notice small favors – a helping hand, a warm cup of tea or coffee, a cozy blanket, or even a glass of clean water.
b. Say “thank you” – to those who helped during difficult times.
c. Keep a gratitude journal – write about a time you were grateful for something a loved one did for you. List three funny, cute things your kids did today.
d. Express your gratitude to the higher power (god and nature) for bestowing an enormous blessing on you in the form of parents, friends, food, water, and much more.
e. Counting blessings: write down five things for which you are thankful (the counting blessings) either daily or weekly basis.
f. Three Good Things: write down the three things that went well and also note down the causes behind the happening of those good things.
g. Mental subtraction: imagine the situation, if a desirable event had not happened in their life.
h. Gratitude letters and gratitude visits: write a letter, or a card and deliver a letter of gratitude to someone whom you have never thanked properly. Make a visit to your dear and close ones and give them a hug. Tell them how grateful you are to have them in your lives.

Hence, an effective and productive life can be attained by practicing some of the mentioned strategies of gratitude during normal times or times of crisis. Make the habit of being thankful, spreading positive vibes, an everyday thing. With practice, cultivating gratitude improves feelings of well-being, and makes you more resilient during hardship.