Gratitude is typically viewed as an individual concept. We express gratitude when we experience something that benefits us personally (it’s okay sis, I’m guilty of this too). Truthfully though, this is a bit selfish, we can’t experience true gratitude until we express it both internally and externally. When we extend our gratitude outward we can use it to cultivate community and uplift those around us instead of just hyping ourselves up.
This post is talking about 5 Ways to Build Community Through Gratitude
Grateful Living
Gratitude is not just an emotion or action but a way of life. That might sound cheesy but gratitude is a lens through which we can view and participate in the world. Are you familiar with the concept of “rose-colored glasses”? that really just explains what it’s like to start living life through the lens of gratitude (minus the delusional part). Gratitude doesn’t prevent negative things from happening or stop your brain from spiraling with negative thoughts. Instead, you can view gratitude as more of a useful tool you can use to mitigate/minimize some of these negative thoughts and emotions.
Gratitude Gathering
The concept of a gratitude gathering is what Thanksgiving is currently disguised as (because we all know what that “holiday” is actually about 👀). A gratitude gathering is about coming together with the intention of gratitude, and creating a space for meaningful connections and giving thanks.
How do You Build Community Through Gratitude?
Gratitude is starting to sound pretty great right about now, but you’re still wondering how you can use it to create community. Here’s a list to get you started.
1. Volunteering
True gratitude is about giving and not just receiving, it’s meant to be reciprocal. When we receive something and feel gratitude it’s meant to inspire us to spread that gratitude to others. Volunteering is an excellent form of showing gratitude for your community
2. Gifting
Who doesn’t love presents?! (and they don’t need to be grand) small tokens of appreciation go a long way. Something that shows someone you really hear and see them, could be as small as their favorite chocolate bar.
3. Communal Experiences
Communal experiences are an excellent way of using gratitude to build community, we see this already through gratitude gatherings. Other forms of communal experiences are things like community events, fairs, and sauna / cold plunge experiences. Even having an open door policy on key holidays for your loved ones builds community through gratitude.
4. Spreading kindness
This may seem obvious, but gratitude involves being thankful! Be kind to others, let them know that you appreciate them, and give compliments generously.
5. Share Joy
When you can share in someone’s joy instead of reacting with jealousy, that is true gratitude. We feel jealous when we have a desire that someone else possesses. We can choose to view our jealousy with gratitude for highlighting a desire to us, and we can also choose gratitude for the person who holds our desire. They have literally shown us proof that our desire is possible, tap into that gratitude, and share in their joy.
In Summary:
- Stop being selfish with your gratitude and spread it outward!
- Gratitude is not just an emotion or practice but a way of life
- Cultivating community through gratitude allows you to uplift those around you
- You can use gratitude to cultivate community through volunteering, gifting, creating communal experiences, and spreading kindness and joy.
This post shared 5 Ways to Build Community Through Gratitude
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