Gratitude is a self esteem boost for us all

Thinking about the happiest times of our lives we can probably pick out a few common denominators that played their part. Something happened that we felt grateful for like an event or the actions of another. We recall that at that time we were feeling positive about life, and also we were likely feeling good about ourselves. In this way we can see that there is a natural association between being thankful and having a positive self perception.

In fact studies show that practising gratitude can improve our self esteem.

In a world where we are constantly being told to compare ourselves to others, and focus on what is lacking in our lives, our self esteem can really suffer. Social media shows off the perfect(ly curated) lives of others, adverts bombard us with all the material things that we don’t have, increased competition in job markets put us under pressure to measure up to our co-workers, even our parenting skills are put under competitive scrutiny in the ‘soccer mom’ age.

Thankfully practising gratitude is the fightback tool we can all have in our armoury to protect and lift our self esteem.

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology found that gratitude increased athletes’ self-esteem. Sports psychologists will tell you that a high self esteem is a fundamental component of optimising sporting performance.

Other studies have shown that gratitude reduces the need for social comparisons, which improves self esteem. People who are grateful are better at appreciating the accomplishments of others, rather than feeling negative toward people who we perceive to have better lives, be it with more money or a better job than us.

So next time you want to fill a minute or two whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, perhaps swap scrolling through your instagram or facebook feed with a moment instead to reflect and record an entry in your gratitude journal…quite simply, be thankful, be happier.