Harsh Vikas Jain
“There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.” — Ralph H. Blum
It is meant as, “a quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and return kindness.” Trust me, there is no such virtue in this world, then of gratitude. When the fragrance of gratitude is showered it blooms with love.
In olden days, gratitude would be expressed with enlarged citations, with jewels and gold, letters and announcement in crowd. But what would hold its significance is importance given to its mere nature.
The habit of gratitude doesn’t come easily, it is way more cultivated. It is a mixture of other virtues present in an individual. The qualities of kindness, humbleness, care, wisdom and most importantly realisation and responsibility make a person filled with gratitude.
Dr. Robert Emmons, says the feeling of gratitude involves two stages: Initially it comes with understanding the attribute of goodness in life. In the state of gratitude, we accept our lives. We believe that our life is rich in texture and is worth living.
The acknowledgement we have acquired makes us feel grateful, both by the presence of it and the struggle of ours towards creating it. Secondly, one can realise goodness present in our surrounding. An individual can feel blessed and grateful by the people, animals, to the universe, but not from oneself.
When we come to this level, we realise that what all sacrifices people made for us and whom we have to express our gratitude. These two stages make us understand the attributes of goodness in our lives and how our goodness manifested into our outward self. This gives us a mirror to oneself and stitches the fabrics of our life better.
Selflessness is the supreme soul of gratitude.
Selflessness is the supreme soul of gratitude. It is done to show the people their belonging and importance. Its characteristics give love freely. For example, if a person is sad for a reason and you write a beautiful thank you note or a note filled with kindness creates a bond of gratitude.
It’s the time when you are not expecting anything in return from them, just spreading courage and love. There are two variant processes that gratitude is binding with. Catharsis is the process where your emotions flow strongly.
In an example, if you have been through very stressful situation and crying provides the mean to release your emotions, rendering it to be cathartic. Catharsis binds with gratitude. To say, you have been guilty in some of the responsibilities you had to take care of. But then you would express your feelings and gratitude to the person whom you have let down.
In this process both ends feel comfortable or satisfied in the end. Reciprocity is the second process, concept of social psychology. In this one expresses gratitude through one’s actions. When an individual does something for you in return you do something for them or to do the thing for a stranger. Imagine you are having fries with your friends and the friend politely demands to pay for coming out.
Then you would think about splitting the bill amount, but should they say anything, as you feel they are paying for everything, you feel grateful so you can ask for paying the entire treat next time. This is the gesture of reciprocity.
Gratitude is also considered to be a trait or state of being.
For thousands of years philosophers have been focusing and elaborating on the virtue of gratitude in our daily lives. Cicero, Seneca and Smith professed the nature of thanks. They believed that a gratitude filled civilization would create a successful establishment for living. Gratitude is considered to be a major focus in research papers from psychological and philosophical perspectives.
It believes that gratitude is the basic core foundational attribute or emotion through which humans can have better living of life. Robert Emmons in his several research papers has mentioned the importance of gratitude being specifically in religious associations that its connection with a superior being can have better physical health.
There are some different studies related to gratitude:
Rejuvenated well-being
When you have the quality of saying thanks, one improves overall sense of well-being. The people who are grateful tend to be open in nature, less neurotic and agreeable. People who are going through depression, gratitude should be involved in their treatments and therapy.
Depths in relationships
In your interpersonal relationship, gratitude becomes a beautiful colour. When two people are together in gratitude, they become less narcissistic and they have the tendency to forgiveness. When we thank someone, who have helped us it leads to better satisfaction in our relationships.
Better in happiness
Toepfer, Cichy, and Peters (2011) conducted a study wherein they asked some people to write a letter stating the gratefulness they feel for them. In the results they found that their happiness and levels of satisfaction were influenced with such a task. It was fresh even weeks later.
Nourished Mental and Physical health.
In 2015, when a research was performed on patients with heart failure, when ghey maintained and completed journals of gratitude their sleep was better, inflammation lessened and they had better textures of mood. Their symptoms of heart failures had been reduced within 8 weeks.
Processed beautiful life.
In last two decades, one realises that the beneficiary elements of gratitude have shown a lot of increased support for human beings. When one also has gratitude in the higher power the levels of stress decreases, this is what one of the researches preaches. Its practice helps decreasing stress and depression.
Gratitude is an immortal ocean of silence and peace. Its canvas filled with gentle white colour of satisfaction and care. When one makes the crop of gratefulness grow in one’s heart, one truly grows as a complete individual. So, what are we waiting for, do you remember you have to thank someone? Let’s start with thanking the universe to keep you alive today…
