How Can We Best Express Gratitude Towards Others?

Gratitude can have a lasting positive impact if we work towards incorporating it into our daily lives.

The expression of gratitude is a self-promoting exercise, grateful people are found to be more likely to respond with gratitude to a wider range of scenarios and recognize the beneficence on the part of others.

This leads to a positive, self-renewing, feedback loop – the more gratitude we display, the more our subjective wellbeing and resistance to negativity increases, and the more grateful we are likely to be.

Actions that display gratitude are more valuable than solely feeling gratitude towards others. For this very reason, it’s important to recognize the methods by which we can express gratitude effectively and exercise them when the situation warrants.

Below are just a few ways in which you can express gratitude to others – the list is by no means definitive but is a starting point for finding methods of expressing your thanks.

• Random acts of kindness. Random acts of kindness can yield substantial reward in terms of subjective wellbeing. If you see a stranger struggling under a heavy load of shopping, offer a hand. Donate unwanted clothes to charity. Help someone lost with directions. The list is inexhaustible!

• Be respectful. Maintain standards of etiquette in your day-to-day interactions with strangers. Just because you don’t know them, it doesn’t mean you should withhold the common courtesy you expect yourself. Hold the door open, respect their space, and be mindful of how your actions impact them.

• Tip your server. Going to the effort to make your experience a positive one, service-industry employees are often unsung heroes. In a fast-paced service environment, stopping a server to read them a gratitude letter isn’t likely to be received well, but dropping a tip in the jar (if you can afford to) lets the staff know you’re thankful for their efforts.

• Mail a handwritten note or letter to someone.  Snail mail seems to be a lost art form these days, yet everyone I know loves receiving mail that isn’t just bills. Tell that person what you love or admire about them in a written form and you’ll be sure to make their day!

• Volunteer in your community. Volunteering is not only a great way to connect with others and gain experience, it has also been found to increase subjective wellbeing and pose significant health benefits. Research has found that volunteer work has a positive impact on elements of personal wellbeing. Those who undertook volunteering opportunities reported increased levels of happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of control over life, physical health and lower levels of depression.

• Give hugs, lots of them.  You don’t have to be one of those people standing on the corner holding a “free hugs” sign, but do offer up more hugs and affection to those you love. Hugs have been proven to decrease stress levels in both people partaking – what a great way to reduce some stress for someone having a rough day!

• Do a favor for someone.  Whether it’s dropping soup off to your sick friend, bringing coffee or treats to a neighbor just to brighten their day, or running an errand for someone. Simple favors like these can go a lotngway in showing others that you care about them, and doing these small favors will likely put you in a great mood as well. It always feels good to give to others!

• Provide encouragement.  Maybe this person is wavering in their abilities and questioning whether or not they are capable of completing something they could like to do. Be an encouragement to them and a cheerleader to help them in reaching their goals. Sometimes all it takes is someone else believing in us to help us make our dreams happen.

• Give a genuine compliment.  If you appreciate how a friend of yours is always so uplifting to you and is a great positive influence in your life, tell them that!

• Tip your server.  Going to the effort to make your experience a positive one, service-industry employees are often unsung heroes. In a fast-paced service environment, stopping a server to read them a gratitude letter isn’t likely to be received well, but dropping a tip in the jar (if you can afford to) lets the staff know you’re thankful for their efforts.

• Tip your server.  Going to the effort to make your experience a positive one, service-industry employees are often unsung heroes. In a fast-paced service environment, stopping a server to read them a gratitude letter isn’t likely to be received well, but dropping a tip in the jar (if you can afford to) lets the staff know you’re thankful for their efforts.

• Share your skills.  If you are a master photographer, perhaps offer up your skills to a friend to take their family’s Christmas portrait this year. Or maybe you are excellent at writing resumes and you have a friend who is struggling to find work – offer up your talents, and I’m sure they will very much appreciate it!

• Celebrate their achievements.  When something wonderful happens for someone else, be happy for them and celebrate their accomplishments. Even if you might feel a bit of envy, push that to the side and focus instead of being happy for that person and celebrate all the hard work they did to achieve their goal. Celebrating for someone else feels a heck of a lot better than throwing yourself a pity party!

• Be fully present.  Giving others our full attention and presence when we are with them is one of the greatest gifts we can give. It shows that we respect and care for them enough to give them our undivided attention.

• Pay it forward to a stranger.  The next time you are getting coffee or a quick meal, try paying for someone behind you in line. A small gesture like this can really make waves of kindness, as that person will likely continue to pay it forward as well.

• Smile often.  Sometimes I think we can underestimate the power that a simple smile can bring to others. I know that when I’m having a rough day and even a stranger smiles at me while grocery shopping, it truly has the power to turn my entire day around. Just knowing that someone cared enough to brighten my day always puts me in a good mood.

• Invite them to do something you know they'll like.  Maybe they have been wanting to see a new movie that came out, or try out a restaurant but can’t find anyone to go with them. Invite them to go with you, even if it may not be your cup of tea. Your gesture will be appreciated and will show them how much you care for them.

"It's a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack."

-GERMANY KENT