Top 10 Gratitude Questions for a Happier, Healthier Life

Gratitude can change your life for the better. Practicing it daily can help boost wellbeing and help you feel better both physically and mentally. These gratitude questions can help you make it a habit easily.

The more we appreciate, the more we have to appreciate. This is because we start taking note of the little things in life we used to take for granted. Learn everything you need to know about living an appreciative life and how you can use gratitude to boost overall health today!

What is Gratitude and Appreciation

Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation, a positive emotion that comes from being thankful for something. Gratitude can be felt, poetically, as a warm feeling of contentment and joy in response to something you are thankful for. It also comes with many mental, physical, and emotional benefits.

Science-Based Benefits

Some science-based benefits of gratitude are life-changing. It can drastically improve baseline happiness. Baseline happiness means we operate in a generally consistent level of contentment. Something like a festival or getting a present may boost joy for a bit, but we tend to return to a baseline level. By practicing gratitude, we can increase the baseline level by paying more attention to things we take for granted.

Other benefits include an increase in optimism, a boost in positive thinking, and a reduction in mental health issues. Some studies, such as this one, also demonstrate how gratitude may be linked to lower levels of inflammation. This can be due to thankfulness practices reducing stress, a major source of chronic inflammation.

Types

There are a few types of gratitude as well. It can be a part of someone’s general personality, which would help them feel more grateful often. It can be a mood, in which it appears and fluctuates in response to things around us. Gratitude can also be an emotion, a small instance in which something sparks feelings of thankfulness.

10 Gratitude Questions

Here are some gratitude questions meant to help you focus on what is right in your life while teaching you to appreciate the little things. As stated before, we tend to be happier when we make a habit of counting our blessings!

The Little Things

Here are the little things we tend to overlook in life. Even in a tough place, we can find something to appreciate. Use these questions to direct your attention to them and start developing an attitude of gratitude now!

1. Are there aspects of nature I am grateful for?

What are some things in nature you appreciate? Maybe it’s the herb garden you’ve started, the flowers in the living room, or the rain in the afternoon which makes the perfect ambiance for reading and tea. Take note of the little things nature offers. Appreciate the very sunlight, which warms the world and makes it habitable.

2. How often do I say thank you and how often do I get to say you’re welcome to others?

Even just saying thank you can make you (and the person you’re thanking) feel all warm and fuzzy. Think about how often you verbally express thanks. Plus, think about when you do something for others, and they express gratitude. How often do you say you’re welcome in response to a good deed you’ve done? 

3. Do I celebrate and appreciate certain aspects of my personality?

Be your number one fan, take care of yourself, and treat yourself with love and respect. Think about the things you like about yourself or things you are grateful for. It can be the fact that you have good knees, a strong back, or laugh easily. Maybe you are giving or kind or passionate about work. Celebrate you.

4. What’s an item or thing I have that brings me comfort?

This can be anything from an old book to a nice pair of socks to your bathtub. Something that sparks joy and brings you peace. Feel the joy of having it and being able to use it, wear it, hold it, etc.

5. Do I take notice of others less fortunate and think about how lucky you are?

While it is not the best to compare, we can take note of others in terms of being grateful for where we are. Sometimes we forget that others don’t have a bed to sleep in, a stable income, or a roof over their heads. Maybe we have the ability to use our hands without pain, we can see with glasses, or we have a pet by our side, while others don’t. We are luckier than we think even in our toughest times.

The Big Things

Take a look through these important things in life and see if you take them for granted! Many of us, including me, tend to normalize them when we should be celebrating them.

6. Do I appreciate and reflect on the friends and family in my life that matter to me?

There are people in your life who will always want to see you. Take time to appreciate their existence in your life. Your friends and family will always be there to help you. Even if you feel alone, you are not. Is there a coworker, a neighbor, or a cashier you see and smile at daily? Maybe you make a bit of small talk. Appreciate those interactions. It can even be just a casual acquaintance giving you TV recommendations!

7. Are there lessons in the past that I can learn from challenges?

Sometimes, life doesn’t go your way. What you take away from that challenge can make all the difference. Think about what you can appreciate from hardships. You can even appreciate that those hardships are in the past. For example, years ago, I had an allergic reaction to an incest bite. Bedridden with fever, in pain, and nauseous, all I could think about was how grateful I would be when I felt normal. To this day I’m so glad to be over that reaction!

8. What parts of my health are I thankful for?

Our health is our wealth. If we feel healthy, it is easy to appreciate that. Give thanks to your body for keeping you well.  Plus, do things that make you feel healthy, even if it is just due to the placebo effect! Drink a green smoothie that energizes you, eat a healthy protein-filled meal, or go for a nice walk in the evening. If you’re feeling under the weather, try to find what feels good and appreciate that.

9. Can I think of ways to give back to the world that will make others feel grateful too?

Think of ways you can appreciate other people and bring them joy. Plus, people who do acts of kindness for others feel better about themselves. Start volunteering, do something nice for someone you love, or simply thank others more often.

10. Can I stop and appreciate the life I am, even if it is not where I want to end up?

No matter where you are on your journey, take a moment and think about how far you’ve come. Think about where you want to go, and appreciate your current moment.

Tips for Using Gratitude Questions Daily

Here are some extra tips to help you utilize these questions to the best of your ability!

• Mindfulness – be present in the moment and appreciate your surroundings.
• Journal about them – take the gratitude questions and make journal entries about them.
• Create rituals – make little habits stick by doing them daily! Maybe you make a habit of thinking about gratitude as you drink your morning coffee or make yourself give thanks as you stretch during yoga.
• Say thank you – verbally express thankfulness in your life more often!

The Takeaway

Being thankful can change your life for the better. You can improve physical and mental health with the use of gratitude practices in your daily life. Use these gratitude questions to direct your focus and learn to make appreciation a habit.

Remember that health starts from within, so eat well, exercise when you can, and take care of your mental health. Take care of gut health too since our microbiota affects metabolism, the muscles, the immune system, digestion, skin health, and more! Get all the resources you need about microbiota health for free here!