Depression, loneliness, sadness, and grief can make you not be grateful. These feelings make you unhappy and give you every reason why you shouldn’t give thanks. But today, I will be sharing with you, tips on how to practice gratitude when you feel depressed.
Sometimes, depression makes you focus on the negatives. When you are struggling or grieving the death of a loved one, it becomes hard for you to feel thankful. But gratitude isn’t only for happy people.
Why Should You Express Gratitude?
Gratitude may not change your life but it helps relieve depression by changing your mood. Finding something to be grateful for can make you forget your sorrows and difficulties and even relieve your pains. Even research proved that expressing gratitude helps you to stay happy. That is why you should always find reasons to be grateful no matter how sad you are.
If you are struggling with gratitude, here are little things you can do to be more grateful whenever you are sad.
How To Practice Gratitude When Depressed
1. Find something to be thankful for
Feeling depressed is an overwhelming experience and can make you not express gratitude. But the only way to practice gratitude when depressed is to find something to be grateful for. If you have lost a loved one or you just broke up with your partner, be grateful that you are still alive and you will surely recover someday.
Related: Gratitude quotes to help you show appreciation
2. Take note of the little things in your life
To express gratitude, you should take cognizance of the little things that happened in your life. It can be the kindness someone showed to you today, the person that made you smile, or the love that was shown to you by a friend. Look around you and you will find little things to be grateful for.
Related: How to cope with depression in a relationship
3. Write a gratitude journal
Writing a journal about the things you are grateful for is another way to practice thanksgiving when you feel depressed. If you don’t know how to write a journal, here is my previous post about how to start a journal. Take a book and a pen and write down everything you are grateful for. You can start with the gift of life, who made you smile today, the words of advice and encouragement you received from friends, etc.
4. Go out with friends
This advice may seem difficult but it is necessary when you are feeling depressed. You may want to be left alone when you are sad, but it won’t make you see reasons to be thankful. Instead, try to connect with your friends and all those that matter in your life. This shows you appreciate their friendship and love for you.
5. Learn to forget the past
Trying to forget your past experience and moving on with your present life is another way to show gratitude when you are downcasted. You won’t be able to see reasons why you should be grateful if you can’t see reasons why you should move on from your past.
6. Shift your mind to others
Depression can make you focus on yourself alone. But you should learn to shift your mind to others and try to make them happy, especially those that are also depressed. Doing this shows you prioritize other people’s happiness and appreciate it when you see them smile. Making others happy can equally make you happy in the midst of depression and loneliness.
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