“Finding gratitude and appreciation is key to resilience. People who take the time to list things they are grateful for are happier and healthier.” – Sheryl Sandberg
If you want to build your resources, become mentally stronger, and dedicate yourself to self-improvement, science is precise: practice gratitude.
When we practice gratitude regularly, it changes our approach to the world around us. We can better see the positive in life. We start looking for the positive instead of being distracted or overwhelmed by the negative. And when we start looking for the positive, we find it—along with other helpful resources.
Researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore found a significant link between gratitude, resilience, and well-being.1 Not only did gratitude improve students’ resilience and well-being, it also helped them relate to others better, which further contributed to higher resilience and well-being.
Noticing and being thankful for what we have makes us more open to learning experiences and relationships with others, which are powerful resources for us to draw from. If you want to be more resilient when life gets tough, give gratitude a try
Gratitude Action Step
Practice noting what you are grateful for daily. Set a goal to express gratitude to at least one person a day. A gratitude attitude will boost your resilience and make it easier to weather the storm when it inevitably comes.
1https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.628937/full