Happily, science has a clear answer to this question, and it’s one time-starved entrepreneurs will like it. Recent studies show that just 15 minutes a day of dead simple gratitude exercises is enough to make a significant change to your mental well-being.
15 minutes a day leads to six months of benefits
This happy insight comes courtesy of a team of Dutch researchers who recently recruited 200 volunteers for a study.
The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The control group did nothing different. Another group focused on performing acts of self-kindness, like taking a bubble bath or buying themselves a treat. A final group was asked to do a gratitude exercise for just 10 to 15 minutes a day.
After six weeks, how did the three groups fare? While just 13 percent of the control group and 19 percent of the self-care group reported greater well-being after six weeks, nearly a third of those practicing Thankfulness felt better. Even more impressively, the grateful group were still feeling the positive effects of the exercises six months later.
Putting these findings into practice
This is far from the only study showing that gratitude is one of the most effective happiness boosters out there — in both personal and professional contexts — but it is one of the clearest and easiest to translate into everyday life. If you have 15 minutes and some pen and paper, you can use these findings to improve your mental health. Just remember that while it’s great to look on the sunny side, it’s also important to recognize the darkness.
So, skip the fake smiles and relentless good cheer. But consider committing 15 minutes each day to focusing on the positive through exercises like:
-Journaling about things you are thankful for
-Listing three things you’re grateful for each day
-Writing a letter to someone expressing your thankfulness
-Using mindfulness meditation to focus on what you are thankful for
-Practicing saying “thank you” in a sincere and meaningful way
Engaging in these simple interventions shouldn’t cause you to break a sweat. Instead, they should bring a smile to your face today — and may strengthen your brain’s ability to see the sunny side for months to come.
What is practicing gratitude?
In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.
Is practicing gratitude self care?
The practice of gratitude is a self-care tool and an aspect of mindfulness.
What are the 6 pillars of gratitude?
-Relatedness. To be able to move from the sense of Thankfulness as an emotion to gratitude as an action – or deep gratitude – requires a commitment to putting priority on the relationships in our lives. …
-Sincerity. …
-Empathy. …
-Self-regard. …
-Integrity. …
-Humility.
The Power of Gratitude, Meditation, and Healing as a Daily Exercise
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