How to Be Grateful When Life Is Hard | 3 Simple Mindset Shifts
Sometimes it’s hard to feel thankful. We know we’re supposed to be grateful—but how can we be, when life feels heavy? Here’s how to be grateful when life is hard…
We know we’re supposed to be grateful—especially for the things that sustain us: jobs, homes, opportunities. But what happens when the very things that are meant to give life start to feel like they’re draining it?
What if the job that provides for the family feels like it’s siphoning our soul a little more each day?
What if we’re stuck in a situation that feels unfair, undeserved, or flat-out incomprehensible?
But maybe the goal isn’t to feel it… maybe it’s to choose it anyway. To practice perspective—to learn how to be grateful when life is hard.
It’s here—in the quiet fog of frustration and fatigue—that gratitude feels out of reach. But maybe the goal isn’t to feel it… maybe it’s to choose it anyway. To practice perspective, even when our emotions don’t follow suit.
Gratitude Isn’t a Feeling—It’s a Viewpoint
Gratitude isn’t just a polite reaction or a brief “thank you” when life hands us something nice. It’s a lens. A posture. A way of seeing the world—especially when life is hard.
But sometimes, life builds skyscrapers that block our view: worry, exhaustion, doubt, loneliness. And when our perspective is overshadowed, our sense of direction gets lost in the shadows too.
So what can we do when we just don’t feel grateful?
Simple Shifts to How To Be Grateful When Life Is Hard
1. Get Higher by Getting Lower
It sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? But real gratitude often starts with humility. When we lower ourselves—acknowledge our dependence, our need for grace—we actually rise above our circumstances.
Too often, the struggle narrows our gaze until we can only see ourselves. But humility shifts that view. It reminds us we’re not alone in this story, and we never have been.
When we bow low in faith, we find ourselves lifted—able to glimpse the blessings still shimmering on the horizon.
2. Move Anyway
If the feeling isn’t there, move forward without it.
This morning, I reheated my tea in the old microwave that’s been sitting on our counter for what feels like a century. It’s not sleek or Pinterest-worthy. It’s just… enough. And that’s the point.
Gratitude doesn’t require perfection. It asks for presence. It whispers: this is enough—for now.
Sometimes, we take the first step toward gratefulness not because we feel it, but because we believe it will meet us there.
3. Look Up
Not long ago, my husband called me from the car park, his voice caught somewhere between frustration and resignation. “I know I should be grateful for this job,” he said, “but honestly, I feel like I’m being steamrolled by spreadsheets.”
We’ve all been there—grappling with something we know we should appreciate but just… don’t. Not right now. Not today.
So, I told him the only thing that made sense: “Try saying thank you—even if you don’t mean it yet.”
Because here’s the curious thing about gratitude: it often shows up late to the party. You clean the mess, set the table, and light the candles… and then it arrives quietly, through the back door, just as you’re about to give up.
Sometimes we have to say the words to see the good. Not to fake it, but to invite it back in.
Gratitude often hides in plain sight: in the co-worker who makes you laugh on a rough day, in the snack you forgot you stashed in your desk drawer, or in the ten quiet minutes before everyone else wakes up.
When we name those tiny, ordinary things—even the not-so-pretty ones—we remind ourselves that life isn’t all headlines and heartache. It’s also full of microwave-warmed tea and parking-lot phone calls and a kind of gritty beauty that takes its time to unfold.
These small shifts in mindset gently teach us how to be grateful when life is hard—without expecting perfection or pretending everything’s okay.
Gratitude Is a Choice, Not a Circumstance
You don’t need to wait for the feeling to show up like a sunrise. You can seek gratitude in the cracks of an ordinary moment, in a tired prayer, in the ding of an ancient microwave.
Shift the position. Soften the heart. Let the view change.
Gratitude isn’t just for the easy things. It’s for the real, the raw, the weary, and the still-waiting—the moments that teach us how to be grateful when life is hard.
And if no one’s told you today—I’m grateful for you.
Pin this for a day when gratitude feels far away.
Further Reading
Here are a couple of places to check out to read a bit more about how to be grateful when life is hard.
