You’re the best: Marital gratitude

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We needed to get a cat to the vet this week. She’s a stray and been hanging around for a while so we need to get her spayed. We caught her in a big crate, but she needed to be in a smaller crate for travel. My sweet husband came home from work at 4 a.m. and took the time to transfer her to the smaller crate so I could take her to the vet. I was so grateful! That was one job I was not looking forward to. When he finally came to bed and told me the job was done, I was so grateful!

What causes feelings of gratitude in marriage?

Gratitude is often prompted by a variety of factors. Here are some common reasons why spouses experience feelings of gratitude:

1. Acts of kindness: When your spouse helps you, offers support or a thoughtful gesture, it often evokes a sense of gratitude. Small acts of kindness can have a significant impact on fostering gratitude in marriage.
2. Accomplishments and milestones: Achieving personal goals, reaching milestones, or successfully overcoming challenges can spark feelings of gratitude. Recognizing our spouse’s efforts and the support received from him/her along the way can generate a genuine sense of appreciation.
3. Life experiences: Positive experiences and moments of joy can create a strong sense of gratitude. Experiencing beauty in nature, travel, art, or even simple everyday pleasures can cultivate a grateful mindset. This is one reason it’s important to engage in activities together – so you can have shared experiences…and they lead to gratitude.
4. Adversity and resilience: Sometimes, going through difficult times can give rise to gratitude. Overcoming hardships, learning from tough situations, and gaining resilience can lead individuals to appreciate the strength they have developed. This relates to everyday challenges so look for that silver lining and express your gratitude!
5. Acts of service: Engaging in acts of service or helping others in need can generate gratitude. Being able to make a positive impact on someone’s life often leads to a deeper sense of appreciation for one’s own blessings. Any time your spouse does something to help you opens an opportunity for gratitude!

Effects of gratitude in marriage

Research shows that thoughtful gestures in marriage make the recipient feel both grateful and indebted to the other person. That feeling of indebtedness leads to that person doing something nice for the other. And the cycle of gratitude continues.

Studies also show that when we express gratitude our relationship satisfaction increases, as does our feelings of connection. So when we say thank you or express our gratitude some other way, we are strengthening our marital bond.

How to show gratitude in marriage

Here are a few quick and easy ways to show gratitude. Keep in mind that everyone has their own love language, so use a strategy best for your spouse.

• Be kind!
• Say thank you
• Use a creative thank you
• Give a great kiss
• Make a meal he/she will love
• Give a cupcake (my personal favorite)
• Tell others the great thing he/she did for you

Gratitude is often overlooked in our busy lives, but it goes a long way to a successful marriage. So do something for your posue today and then thank them when they do something for you!

Peace,

🌸 Andrea

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