How grateful are you for your marriage or your relationship with your significant other? Maybe you feel there’s not much for which to be thankful, and perhaps you imagined a much different kind of relationship when you got together years ago. Even if that’s the case, don’t miss out on the power of gratitude and how it can make your life happier.

Gratitude is a powerful antidote to fear and uncertainty. Developing the habit of gratitude restores your confidence and power. 

Even if it’s hard to feel grateful about your relationship, strive to find something in that experience you can be thankful for. Maybe you made happy memories somewhere along the way or had a child you love and adore; perhaps it’s forging you into a stronger, more self-reliant version of yourself. Maybe it’s creating a capacity within you to empathize and encourage others in similar situations. 

Although being grateful sounds simple enough, it isn’t always easy. Life blindsides you and knocks you down, or your to-do list is overwhelming and stressful, not to mention work demands and overload. 

Despite everything, choosing to be grateful makes you happier, and you’ll enjoy life more.

Here are some ways to change your life for the better by developing the habit of being grateful every day.

Gratitude

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful and appreciative. It’s a way of life where we find the silver lining and see the glass half-full. Gratitude is especially important when catching ourselves slipping into a negative, self-pitying state of mind.

Gratitude isn’t saying life is perfect. Not at all. It’s finding something for which to be thankful within life’s imperfections. But why even bother with this exercise? Because gratitude weakens the grip of whatever is controlling you; gratitude is a powerful ritual for reclaiming your power.

Many successful people start their day by finding three things they’re grateful for immediately upon awakening. It’s a habit worth developing. 

Gratitude and its Benefits

Many of the benefits of gratitude have been proven scientifically. Gratitude has a positive effect on your well-being. According to research, it helps with reducing stress and improves the quality of sleep and energy levels. It’s good for your emotional health too, and it makes you more resourceful and resilient because you’re training yourself to see the brighter side of life and find solutions, whereas before, you focused more on what was wrong.

Imagine how this shift in mental and emotional health might improve the relationship with your marriage or significant other? 

Being thankful, resourceful, and optimistic gives you a good vibe and makes you much more attractive.  

Easy Ways to Practice Gratitude

Using a gratitude journal is a great place to start. Write three things down that you’re grateful for before you go to sleep and keep it at your bedside, so it’s the first thing you see and read upon awakening. 

Check your gratitude journal first thing in the morning. Not your email, texts, news, or voicemail. Take charge of setting the tone for the day. 

Does it have to be three new things every day? No. But push yourself to find new things for which to be grateful. And to master gratitude, find things within challenging, negative, disappointing situations for which to be grateful. You might not be thankful for the problem but try to find at least one thing in that situation for which to be thankful to weaken its hold on you.  

Say “thank you” to someone every single day. And say it with a smile – as if you mean it! Raise the energy of your life and raise the energy of the world around you, which is something we need now more than ever. 

Saying thank you even for small, seemingly insignificant things opens your spirit to the abundant blessings all around you! 

Lastly, strive to give back, whether it’s through a charitable donation to a worthy cause or by donating your time and energy. Transform your gratitude from words into action. Gratitude is a verb.

Gratitude is more important than many of us realize in unlocking our best life and marriage. When you finish reading this article, immediately find one or two things you can be thankful for right now.