One of my favorite ways to improve my health and handle my emotions is expressing gratitude.
Science has proven that being grateful leads to a higher quality of life. People who express gratitude regularly live longer, are healthier, and also have a lower incidence rate of overweight, obesity, stress, anxiety and chronic disease.
Yes, really! Ask yourself : What are you thankful for? Who matters in your life? Even when life may not be going as planned, there are still many things to be grateful for.
“Gratitude is one of the most medicinal emotions we can feel. It elevates our moods and fills us with joy.” ~ Sara Avant
I’ve put together my top 5 favorite rewards from practicing gratitude.
1 – Healthy Relationships
Being grateful every day means telling the important people in your life that they matter. This improves your relationships on a daily basis.
2 – Stress-Relief
Worrying about what you don’t have is very stressful. When you experience mental and emotional stress, your body releases stress hormones. These impact your body in a negative way, causing physical and emotional health problems. The stress relief you receive from being thankful leads to a healthier body and mind.
3 – You Socialize More
Human beings are social animals. We were not intended to live a life of solidarity. People who are not grateful for the gifts in their lives tend to stay away from others. They huddle away in their homes, fostering a negative view on the world. When you appreciate the people and things in your life, you naturally want to socialize more, to reap more grateful benefits.
4 – You Sleep Better
The exact scientific and physiological connections between gratitude and better health are not entirely known. That doesn’t mean that positive effects noticed in grateful people can’t be tracked. One benefit scientists and sleep researchers have found in people that express gratitude regularly is healthier sleep patterns. This leads to better mental and physical health in a number of ways.
5 – You Feel Happier
Several studies show that keeping a gratitude journal daily can increase your long-term well-being. One study shows that simply writing down the things you are grateful for every day can increase your health and well-being by more than 10%. Those studies showed that happiness level was the same as people who double their income!
There is only good that can come from being grateful. Here are some of my favorite ways to express gratitude in your life.
Give Your Gratitude Away
No matter how much you appreciate someone in your life, that person may not have any idea about how you feel. Rather than just assume they know your thoughts and feelings, go ahead and speak up. Tell them how you really feel and what’s in your heart.
See the smile? It feels good, doesn’t it?
When you smile back, laugh, and even share tears of joy and love, it helps your heart, mind, and body thrive. It releases a flood of chemicals that your body just loves. It’s a “feel-good” thing to do. That’s true for both you and the receiver of your gratitude.
Show Your Gratitude
Showing gratitude is something you can do quite easily and all it costs you is a little bit of time and effort.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
• Tell your loved ones you care for them.
• Hug a friend who’s hurting.
• Smile at a stranger.
• Count your blessings
• Make time to listen to someone who needs to talk.
• Spend some time out in nature, appreciating the beauty of creation.
• Volunteer your services or help someone in need.
You can also show your gratitude just for being alive by treating others well and being kind to yourself. Relaxing and taking time to unwind from the stress of everyday life is very important, and you’ll be happier and healthier because of it.
One of the ways I like to show my gratitude is through providing resources to live a happy healthy balanced life. To express my appreciation for you, I’m offering you this FREE report on how to stay calm and healthy during the holidays seeing as it’s fast upon us.
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Your Make It Happen Coaching Action Step:
Give your gratitude away and pick 3 ways to show gratitude and express it each day for the next week.
Affirm to yourself:
” I am grateful for all the great health, love, and goodness that my life has revealed to me.”
Remember, I am here for you, to support and believe in you.
I would love to hear about how you practice gratitude everyday.
Leave us a comment below and share on fabcebook.
