How Gratitude Raises Your Baseline Well-Being – Part 1

By Farheen Moin – Hiba magazine team writer

In a world that chases more, gratefulness can be ignored or underutilized as an ordinary, overhyped, fleeting sentimental emotion. But what if the most underrated tool for happiness and well-being was as simple as the habit of gratitude.

In this article I aim to help you see how gratitude is a powerful, transformative mindset that can shift your baseline positive experience of life when incorporated effectively.

The Inner Shift Gratitude Creates

Most of us can recall moments when gratitude brought a sense of emotional uplift and mental clarity. But how exactly does gratitude reshape our inner world?

Our experience of life is shaped by what we pay attention to. Gratitude isn’t passive, but an active process of shifting attention. Gratitude begins with awareness—the ability to notice. This means paying attention to moments of beauty, comfort, kindness, support and opportunity, however small. In fact, without awareness, even the most profound and significant blessings can go unnoticed. For instance, if you’ve never paused to look up at the sky, you will never notice it’s like a vast, ever-changing canvas above us all. If you’ve never noticed the hard work your parents put into keeping the home running, you’ll never understand the depth of their care.

Once we’re aware of something the next step is recognizing its value and where it’s coming from. The many good things we enjoy are not self-generated and come to us as a blessing from Allah (swt). We receive them through others, or they are gifted to us as part of life, such as the natural world around us.

Appreciation arises the moment we truly acknowledge the significance of what we have. Once we see how something has supported us all along, gratitude naturally follows. We shift gears both intellectually and emotionally.

Gratitude shifts focus away from what’s going wrong and lacking and redirects it towards what’s present, safe and positive.

This calms the nervous system, reduces anxiety, overthinking, overwhelm and rumination that clouds clarity. It also activates brain regions associated with emotional regulation. A person can respond more calmly and rationally.

The most profound shift is psycho-spiritual. Gratitude encourages a bigger picture view on life. It doesn’t ignore hardships but contextualizes it.

Gratitude untangles the heart from frustrations and realigns it with the good that’s there and what truly matters. As we become more regular in our practice of gratitude, it becomes the lens through which we view our life experiences.

Gratitude both reveals and amplifies life’s blessings. As we shine a light on the good that’s already there, not what’s missing, it makes the good more real, meaningful and vivid.

We feel the hidden richness of our blessings, we appreciate what’s working out in our lives, we experience joy in the ordinary, we are amazed by the beauty surrounding us, we even recognize and appreciate silver linings. It doesn’t change our circumstances, but how we perceive them.

This change of perception:

1. alters our thought patterns,
2. softens our judgements,
3. reframes our experience, and
4. disarms our intense negative feelings.

Imagine that after a long day of work you lie down for a nap. But before long your toddler wakes you up, eager to show you their messy Lego creation and wraps their arms around you. At first you are annoyed, but then you pause and breathe, thanking Allah (swt) for this moment. The feel of those tiny hands clutching your arms fills you with unexpected warmth, and the sight of a chaotic brick creation makes you chuckle! The annoyance you felt just a second ago shifts to pure joy.

Gratitude has a way of shifting how we see every step in our journey. Instead of being focused solely on arriving and succeeding, we recognize every small miracle on the way.

An ordinary day becomes meaningful. The morning breeze energizes you. The sunset helps you wind down. A smile makes your day. All it takes is consistent practice of slowing down, noticing and being grateful.

Have you noticed how sometimes the people who have the least are the most grateful. They’ll have so little, yet they’ll share their only meal with you, or offer their last bite to a starving cat.

The difference between them and those of us who complain despite our abundant blessings is that they notice the joy in the moment, they value their life just the way it is. It’s a daily choice they make. They don’t take anything for granted. And that’s why they show greater generosity, patience and connection.

Studies Show Gratitude Boosts Well-being

Research backs what many of us have experienced firsthand that gratitude is good for our well-being. Studies show that regularly practicing gratitude can offer a range of mental, physical, and social benefits.

In a well-known study, psychologist Robert Emmons found that participants who kept a gratitude journal for just three weeks reported feeling significantly happier, up to 25%, compared to those who focused on daily hassles or neutral events. They also reported fewer physical complaints and exercised more frequently.

Other studies show that gratitude practices can improve mood, even in workplace settings, by encouraging more positive thinking and helping people manage negative emotions.

Writing in a gratitude journal before bed has been linked to calmer thoughts and better sleep quality. There’s also emerging evidence that gratitude practices can positively influence physical health, including lowering blood pressure and reducing inflammation.

The relational benefits of gratitude are supported by multiple studies. Gratitude promotes relational bonding, prosocial behavior, and fosters trust and empathy.

What’s most encouraging is how some research suggests that consistent gratitude practice can lead to a lasting shift in baseline well-being. In other words, over time, people may feel better even on ordinary days, not because life is perfect, but because their perspective becomes more balanced and appreciative. However, it’s worth noting that the strength and stability of the shift depends on consistency of practice as well as psychological, social and biological factors.

So right now, just take out a moment to reflect and acknowledge one blessing you are grateful for today. Breathe deeply and sit with it for a moment. Let it echo through your being.

Say a heartfelt ‘thank you.’

Say ‘Alhamdulilah’!

That’s all it takes to start practicing gratitude’s quiet power.

The writer would love to hear your thoughts on the article. Feel free to email her your feedback and reflections at inopendialogue@gmail.com