Gratitude (September 21st, 2015) hosted by @Alicattt

This forum post is based on the discussion held on September 21st, 2015 at 9PM EDT hosted by @Alicattt in the Guided Discussion Room on the topic: Gratitude

Gratitude Discussion

Hosted & Outlined by @Alicattt

Icebreaker

Do you expect to be thanked when you do something nice for someone?

I would like to be thanked but civility has gone the wayside with most people so no, I don't expect it anymore.

I actually feel weird when someone thanks me

a thank you is nice, but if i don't get thanked, it doesn't make me feel any less satisfied that i've done a nice thing

I don't know quite what to do with myself when someone thanks me

Discussion Questions

How can you determine if a person is a grateful person or not?

People express gratitude in different ways...

I think it depends on the person

i'd like to think that if someone was truly grateful for something, they'd be willing to help others with what they were helped with

Gratitude is still loving life even with all the hardships.

Are you a grateful person? Why or why not?

I consider myself to be a fairly grateful person.

I am, I've always been

I am not always grateful but for the most part I am. I am grateful for just waking up another day relatively healthy. So many never get that chance. Life is a gift.

Sometimes I think I am grateful for just getting through the day

I am a grateful person but I don't get gratitude I've helped even a bully with their issues and they turned around and bullied more and were not there when I needed them

I always found it easy to say thank you for a nice deed, but I really had to think about if I was grateful or not after my suicidal thoughts appeared. I wasn't satisfied with what I had in life, so I felt suicidal. But now, I feel a lot more grateful for the support I have and the things I have

What are some ways in which we can express our gratitude?

hugs, texts, buying them stuff they like, going to an event they like even when you may not like it and cheering them on

There is the nonchalant type of thank you, but there is also a heartfelt "thank you"

We can express gratitude by being there for the person. With kind words, acts of service, gifts, quality time or touch.

It's easier to show gratitude if you know what that person likes. My mom loves music, so I'll play the piano while she sings.

Tell people the ways they mean to you

Gratitude could be shown by recognition of good things someone has done for you

Gratitude is an attitude

yeah gratitude is about the heart, not necessarily what is done

How might we begin to introduce gratitude into our daily lives?

Keeping a gratitude journal!

random acts of kindness

I've started being a little greatful to myself

by saying things thank you for helping me

Send thank you notes or emails in the modern world

Talking positive instead of being a self critic

saying positive affirmations about myself really shows gratefulness to myself

How can practising gratitude affect our lives?

It makes you happier

I think that having an "attitude of gratitude" makes us see the brighter side of things

For me it reduces stress

For me gratitude kills apathy, it makes me driven to pay forward the kindnesses I received

Also you live more in the moment, instead of being occupied in the future or past

It makes me more aware of the love around me

How can gratitude affect those around us?

A domino affect

It encourages people to spend kindness

It fills up their emotion tanks so they can share the kindness

It just makes the world a more kind place to be in

It's kind of like negativity breeds negativity, similar way for expressing gratitude

Gratitude is positive feedback for those who do kind things, it encourages them to do more of what they're doing

What are some things that can prevent us from having a sense of gratitude?

Depression can definitely get in the way of gratitude

I think ungrateful people can get in the way too

If you keep those things in your thoughts, even if it doesn't improve your low mood it will leave less room for depression to inject negative thoughts

When going through difficult times, how can we still maintain a sense of gratitude?

By telling ourselves that were worth it

Recognizing that whatever you're experiencing is just like a season, it will pass

Recognize are strengths

maybe you have to try to focus on the very small positive things we take for granted each day. that could get us through hard times.

Are there any challenges or difficulties you have experienced (or are currently experiencing) that you are thankful for?

grattitude journal, I kept one for a while and it did help but I found it hard to keep up with it after a while

I've experienced DV for 12 years. The only reason I'm thankful for it is that because it shaped me into the person I am today. If I didn't, probably wouldn't have realized social work is my passion

I survived a car accident & relearned how to walk 2 years ago. I experience pain everyday but I am grateful for being alive & being able to use my legs.

I am legally blind and have other health problems, I guess if not for those I wouldn't have met so many great doctors that inspired me to be a doctor

What are the reasons you have either not been thankful for or have been thankful for any challenges in your life?

Find it hard to be thankful for ADHD. If I could make anyone of my problems disappear it would be ADHD Because of my eye problems I can't take the meds to treat it, they're contraindicated. Bad luck

I find it hard to be thankful to be balding since I was 16 y/o

i am not grateful for the pain but it reminds me i am alive.

I find it hard to accept that I have depression and anxiety. If I could make it go away, I would in a second

Not thankful for an abusive relationship I've kept for far too long

I think that sometimes I find it hard to be grateful because I feel as if my challenges are punishments

What are some things we can ask ourselves when trying to think of what we are grateful for?

We can ask, what do I value most in my life?

what am i grateful for - "what makes me happy?" "what is my day full of?" "what helps me during my day?"

Look in the mirror every morning and say I'm thankful for myself

What made me smile today?

What are you thankful for today?

I am grateful that God gave me a kind heart and made me good person

I know I'm thankful for all the wonderful people in my life and the support they give me

I'm thankful for 7 cups of tea

i'm thankful for my sister who celebrated a birthday yesterday

I am thankfully for having been able to fix my computer without losing my files lol

I'm grateful for missing the bus today. Some random person on the next bus gave me his transfer and taught me a few lessons

A huge thank you to everyone who participated!

Participant list: @JustMe11, @philosophicalCat2439, @s12, @understandingJet2624, @creativemaple1, @MajesticWest, @SlowRoller, @erastothenes, @DisabledFemme

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