Being thankful for what you have improves your health
Gratitude, grateful, thankful, thanksgiving, appreciation
What do these words mean to you? What role do they play in your everyday life?
Wow, I am amazed how much information is available on this important link between being thankful and health. Just search for these two terms and see what all you will find.
What is gratitude?
This is being aware of all of the good things in your life. And it is being thankful for those things. Have you considered being thankful for:
- A safe place to sleep
- Food to eat
- Clothes to cover yourself
- Having a friend to call
- Your job – current or past
- A beautiful day
This simple awareness of and being thankful for these ‘little’ things can boost your health.
Note, it doesn’t have to be the biggest house or the softest bed or the tastiest food or the latest fashion clothing to be grateful. Gratitude focuses on what you have – all of the good things – rather than what you don’t have.
Expressing gratitude can:
- Boost your spirits and sense of well-being
- Boost your immune system making you less likely to get sick
- Decrease your chances of heart disease
- Improve your performance (grades, work productivity, concentration)
- Bust your stress
There are many ways you can make gratitude part of your life. Here are a few recommended in a Harvard Mental Health newsletter:
- Write a thank-you note
- Go up and thank someone
- Keep a gratitude journal
- Pray
- Meditate
- Keep a list of your thanks = count your blessings
See your day and your health improve by focusing on the positive. Try starting your day with a list of things for which you are thankful. On those nights you can’t sleep, name all of the good things in your life. Let that override the worries and things you can’t control.
On this Independence Day weekend, as a country, we have much reason for gratitude!
For more information on gratitude and health, contact us at www.medsmash.com.
For further application, check out my personal blog.
