The value of gratitude in difficult times
We say goodbye to 2020 with a general feeling of discouragement and a desire to move quickly toward a new beginning. Many people have suffered, cried more, and felt fear closer than usual. Others, surely, still feel the sadness of a loved one's loss or the anguish caused by a difficult situation.
But it has also been a year full of learning experiences that are worth pausing to consider, because otherwise we risk glossing over them and forgetting them too soon.
Beyond the thousands of small acts of solidarity that have taken place in every town, neighborhood, community, etc., there have also been countless expressions of gratitude. And that is precisely what this article wants to emphasize. Surely, the most widespread and remarkable example was the moving 8 p.m. applause, punctual every day and throughout the country, for more than two months.
And in these times of global pandemic, we have surely all had reasons to be grateful to countless people for countless things:
- To the health professionals in health centers and in homes.
- To the professional caregivers who have looked after the elderly in care homes.
- To the professionals and volunteers in the social sector, who have given their all every day (and not always working in the best conditions) to care for the people that society makes invisible.
- To the teachers, who have dedicated enormous efforts so that children and adolescents can continue their studies with the maximum emotional support.
- To the workers we have discovered are essential and who have allowed us to continue with our daily lives: going shopping, using public transport, or enjoying clean spaces.
And to so many groups who have contributed their bit so that we, as a society, could overcome this difficult challenge.
The social challenge left by the pandemic
Practicing gratitude as a protective element for our health
Gratitude is a value that strengthens with practice and is an attitude we adopt in life, which is why it has inspired numerous theoretical and philosophical approaches throughout history. Because, unlike emotions such as fear, joy, or sadness, gratitude is not a basic reaction nor does it arise spontaneously; rather , it must be cultivated consciously and given space in our lives .
In a world that often moves too fast, sometimes it is essential to stop in order to find reasons to be grateful.
Practicing gratitude, that is, giving thanks, is a way of accepting that we are imperfect and interdependent beings, that we need each other. Everyone. It is a sign of humility in the face of life.
But being grateful doesn't mean we should ignore the many injustices that surround us daily, nor that we should stop fighting to change them. Therefore, Brother David Steindl-Rast , one of the leading researchers on gratitude, reminds us that it's healthy not to be grateful for everything. And precisely to identify this more clearly, he invites us to stop and look attentively, using all our senses, like a child who pauses before crossing at a traffic light.
Various studies on well-being demonstrate that practicing gratitude allows us to experience happiness more vividly . American psychologist Robert Emmons summarizes the benefits of this practice:
- Better physical and mental health.
- Greater happiness.
- A stronger sense of connection with the people around us.
Now, knowing this, and despite the challenges of these difficult times, the question is simple: What reasons do I have to be grateful? And once we find the answer, if that ever happens, let's not let it pass us by and give thanks authentically and consciously with a gesture or a word, and let's continue exploring the many opportunities that life offers us each day.
Because, as the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, gratitude is the memory of the heart.
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