Surprising Health Benefits of Being Grateful
Since it’s holiday time, I thought it would be good to talk about gratitude! Gratitude actually has many positive health benefits – mental, emotional, and physical. On the other side of the spectrum, stress has many negative effects on our health. Gratitude helps to lower our stress levels, which is good for our well-being.
Gratitude has real physical health benefits.
The Paradox of Gratitude
It’s often easy to think that “if only I had … I’d be happy.” But being grateful and thankful for what you already have is the first step to happiness. While we wait for something to happen that is supposed to make us happy, life is passing us by, and by the time that thing happens, it’s not sufficient anymore, and we want something better.
When we are grateful for what we have now and live in the moment, rather than in the future, we often realize that we can be happy with less and things are not as important as they once seemed.
It’s Not So Easy to Be Grateful
It is often easier to dwell on the negative: Financial troubles, politics, the things we don’t like about our bodies, or the bosses that treat us badly. There is a simple reason why we act this way: We are wired to look out for ourselves and to spot the dangers to our well-being. When something negative happens, our survival instincts kick in. But with the constant onslaught we experience from work stress or a bleak future portrayed by the media— especially social media —this intuition works against us.
Making Gratitude a Habit
Since gratitude may not come naturally, we can make a conscious decision that we want to be more grateful. Cultivating a grateful and thankful attitude is possible. Try these few tips to be more grateful; over time you will form a habit:
Gratitude journal: Write about the things that make you happy for 15 minutes each day. Or even just write 2 quick things that you’re grateful for. Consider the people in your life you appreciate, the fact that you have food on the table, or the beautiful environment you live in.
Gratitude letters: Write a letter to a friend, family member, or colleague to tell them about the positive influence they have in your life.
Acts of kindness: Do small good deeds each day, like opening a door for someone, smiling at a stranger, or saying thank you.
Implementing these habits will slowly start to change the way you think and what you focus on. You will start to see more positives than negatives each day.
Benefits of Being Grateful
Nurturing an attitude of gratefulness and thankfulness has numerous advantages, such as:
- Having more positive emotions and a positive outlook on life
- Feeling more alive
- Sleeping better, longer, and uninterrupted
- Being more compassionate and kind
- Having a stronger immune system
- Being more hopeful
- Having better mental health
- Boosting wellbeing
- Being less depressed and less envious towards others
- Making you a better friend, by being more social and giving more emotional support
- Strengthening relationships
- Having a positive effect on heart health by reducing hypertension
- Being less likely to burn out
- Being more likely to exercise and eat healthier
- Being more likely to take care of oneself
- Increasing our self-esteem
- Increasing our empathy for others
- Being more resilient and less affected by negative incidents
Cultivating an Attitude of Gratefulness
With so many benefits of being grateful, it is well worth the investment to spend the time to develop an attitude of gratefulness and thankfulness. If you struggle to make the switch from seeing the negative in life to the positive things surrounding you, feel free to get in contact with me for more actionable tips and tricks.
