We all know exercising and eating a healthy diet are good for our bodies, but how many people realize practicing an attitude of gratitude can improve our health as well?
There’s no doubt that mind and body are connected, and this link is especially apparent when it comes to gratitude. “Research suggests that individuals who are grateful in their daily lives actually report fewer stress-related health symptoms, including headaches, gastrointestinal (stomach) issues, chest pain, muscle aches, and appetite problems,” says Sheela Raja, PhD, an assistant professor and clinical psychologist in the Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Not only that, researchers in England studied a group of students at the beginning and end of their first semester in college and found that those who practiced gratitude experienced less stress and depression and more social support. Similar results were found by researchers at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. and the University of California at Davis — young teens who counted their blessings reported more optimism and satisfaction than those who didn’t. Grateful people are also often more content because they don’t spend a lot of time comparing themselves with others, says Raja.
An Attitude of Gratitude: How to Say Thanks
Now that we can appreciate the importance of gratitude in our lives, how can we make it happen? The first step is to understand that it’s much more than saying thanks for something nice that happened to us or celebrating on Thanksgiving — it’s a whole way of looking at the world.
“Feeling gratitude is a sense of what I would call appreciation, wonder, and thankfulness for what has occurred in our lives and what is going on right now, an eager anticipation of what is to come,” says Paula Langguth Ryan of Boulder, Colo., author of Giving Thanks, The Art of Tithing. “It’s being present to the wonders and joys of life as it is, without wanting it to be different, and a sense of fulfillment that comes from within, from seeing the good — or the potential for good — in every situation.”
There are a variety of ways we can go about increasing the gratitude factor in our lives. Here’s some ideas to get started:
- Practice meditation, yoga, or prayer. Anything that increases focus on the present moment will help increase gratitude, says Raja. Don’t think about only the big things — be thankful for the small nuances and beauty in everyday life.
- Re-frame your thinking. “I recommend folks do ‘I am grateful’ or ‘thank you’ statements for everything that goes on in their lives, as it gets them into the habit of not judging,” says Ryan. “Years ago when someone I was really into decided to stop dating me, that very evening of the breakup I created a gratitude list of 25 things I was grateful for in the short time we dated. That shifted me out of feeling abandoned and unworthy and into feeling blessed for the new things I’d learned about myself, new ways of relating to another, and the new experiences I’d had during that time.”
- Keep a written (or oral) gratitude journal. Write down what you’re thankful for, or share them with family at dinner. You can even simply think about them before going to sleep.
- Do something for someone else. “There is strong evidence that helping other people actually helps us focus more on the blessings in our own lives,” says Raja. Do a good deed, big or small, and the good probably will come back to you.
Ultimately being grateful is more than an act of thanks here and there; it’s a philosophy that can open up endless possibilities. Now that’s something to be thankful for.
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