There is growing evidence from scientific research that demonstrates the value of practicing gratitude and expressing that gratitude to others on a regular basis. There are a total of twelve advantages to making gratitude a daily practice in your life. When people learn to let go of their pessimism and develop an attitude of gratitude, they open themselves up to a wide variety of benefits, some of which are listed below:
- More energy Improved sleep.
- Improved conditions of the body.
- More zeal and fervor.
- A more upbeat and positive attitude.
- Increased levels of empathy and popularity.
The most effective way to motivate your child to develop a gratitude attitude is to develop one yourself, as is the case with pretty much everything else that is associated with the process of raising children. Having said that, there are ways in which you can educate your child about the merits of cultivating an attitude of gratitude.
Give Thanks
Demonstrate to your child how much you value their existence in your life by sharing the qualities that you admire most in your household, your place of employment, your circle of friends, and anything else that makes you feel grateful. Thank anybody who makes your life easier or more enjoyable, whether it be the cashier at the grocery store, the janitor at your child’s school, or the motorist who allows you to merge into their lane.
Pay Attention to the Splendor That Exists in the Present
Honor and rejoice the fact that you are still alive. Take note of the positive or attractive aspects of the individuals and the environment around you. Take your kid out for a stroll and point out all the different species of living things that can be found in your neighborhood.
Always Answer in the Affirmative
“Yes!” You should make it a point to catch your kid being upbeat, positive, and helpful at least twice as often as you catch them doing something wrong. Try to do it ten times more frequently.
Create and Stick to Routines That Are Good for Your Health
Children, just like adults, tend to have more negative attitudes when they are hungry, tired, cold, overly sedentary, or when they spend an excessive amount of time in front of screens. Therefore, you should do everything in your power to provide a schedule that is reasonably predictable for your child that includes times for eating, snacking, cuddling, playing, going outside, and sleeping.
Change Your Attitude From One of Entitlement and Pessimism to One of Gratitude
A negative attitude is corrosive to everything else in addition to the family life. Negativity, on the other hand, is a pattern of thought, and patterns of thought can be changed. Even the crankiest young teen is capable, with the right kind of assistance, of developing attitudes that others, including their family members, can appreciate. Helping children and adults shift their mindset from one of entitlement, which fosters a negative attitude, to one of appreciation is a strategy that has proven to be particularly successful.
Begin a Gratitude Diary
You should keep a separate notebook in which you jot down experiences, people, and things for which you are thankful. It’s up to you whether your contribution is short or long, a picture or some words. They can center on significant life moments, such as the arrival of a new child or the successful resolution of a financial issue, or they can concentrate on more mundane experiences, such as a delicious meal or a joke that made everyone in the group laugh.
Keep the journal in a visible location for the whole family to peruse, and encourage each member to contribute their own reasons for feeling grateful.You may want to consider giving your child, taking into account their age and personality, their very own gratitude journal in which they can record the specific reasons why they are thankful in private.
Consider the Act of Gratitude to Be a Form of Mindfulness Practice
When you cultivate an attitude of gratitude, your mind is able to shift its focus from the negative aspects of your world to the positive aspects. Both the chemical makeup of your brain and the atmosphere around you will benefit from its presence. People who practice gratitude regularly discover that they have an increasing number of reasons to feel happy.
Instill Gratitude in Your Child at an Early Age
When people make the effort to consciously focus on the things for which they are grateful, it makes the challenges they face feel less overwhelming. Instill in your child the understanding that saying “Thank you” isn’t really optional. You should assist them in finding additional reasons to mention it.
Assist Your Child in Taking Credit for Their Accomplishments
Ask your child to reflect on how they made contributions to something positive that has happened to them when they are feeling good about themselves as a result of an accomplishment, a nice moment with friends, or any other positive experience. Tell them that when things go right, we typically have made a contribution in some way, even if it was just through being in the right state of mind to recognize it or through being adequately optimistic to allow it to take place.
This is something that they should know. By assisting your child in recognizing the extent to which they have contributed to their own life experience, they will be more likely to take actions that will result in grateful feelings. You will notice an increase in their sense of well-being, in addition to all of the other benefits that come from practicing gratitude.
Think About the Blessings of the Day Before You Go to Sleep
After you have completed all of the other tasks associated with bedtime and your child has been tucked away securely in bed, take a few quiet moments to sit down with them and talk about the things that happened during the day that made both of you happy. You might feel grateful that you ate something nutritious or that you have a comfortable bed to rest in tonight. It’s possible that your kid did really well on a class assignment and is appreciative for the sense of achievement and success it gave them.
You might have recently recovered from a cold and be feeling especially grateful for the state of your health. To close out the conversation, express your gratitude to your child for being a part of your life. Your child will have a better time sleeping and will have a more positive self-image as a result of your increased awareness of the qualities that you admire in them.
It doesn’t matter how difficult things are in your life right now; you can still find reasons to be grateful. According to something Oprah once said, “the single greatest thing you could do to transform your life right currently would be to begin being grateful for everything you havetoday.” The more thankful you are, the more blessings you will receive.