EXPERIENCE THE BENEFITS OF GRATITUDE
Gratitude. What does this word mean? Why is it such a popular word these days? We all know people who seem to always find the “silver lining” in life. People who see the glass as half full, no matter the circumstances. What’s their secret? It isn’t that it’s an innate part of their personality, although it may seem that way. Chances are, these people are practising gratitude.
Think about it, you can’t be angry and grateful simultaneously. You can’t be fearful and grateful simultaneously. But how exactly does it work? How does it help us? Keep reading to learn about how to be truly grateful in any situation!
🌟 WHAT IS GRATITUDE?
Gratitude is a positive emotion that involves being thankful and appreciative and is associated with several mental and physical health benefits. When you experience gratitude, you feel grateful for something or someone in your life and respond with feelings of kindness, warmth, and other forms of generosity.
🌟 WHY GRATITUDE BENEFITS US
The brain is our most powerful organ. Our thoughts influence our behaviors, our state and even our physical health. What we focus on in life is what we will experience. As the saying goes, “what’s wrong is always available, but so is what’s right.” When you choose to focus on what’s right, the law of attraction ensures that you will receive more of it. When you focus on what’s wrong – you’ll get more of that, too.
The act of being grateful also activates different parts of your brain, including the hypothalamus, which regulates hormones. These chemical reactions have a very real effect on both your mental and physical health. That’s why the health benefits of gratitude have been proven again and again.
PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF GRATITUDE
By activating the brain chemicals that make us happy, practicing gratitude can help relieve the psychological and physiological effects of stress.
🧠 DECREASED NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
With all that’s going on in the world, it can be tempting to focus on the negative, but when you focus on the positive, the world seems to give you positivity in return. Gratitude creates a feedback loop that reduces toxic emotions like envy, anger and regret. It can also reduce stress and that leads to many of the other health benefits of gratitude.
🧠 INCREASED EMPATHY
The benefits of gratitude go beyond your own emotions – being grateful can actually make you more open to the emotions of others. Studies have shown gratitude increases empathy and therefore changes behavior, including reducing aggression and decreasing the desire to retaliate. Yes, it’s true – gratitude can make the world a better place.
🧠 IMPROVED OUTLOOK
You might think you need to start off as an optimistic person in order to experience the benefits of gratitude, but the opposite is true. Gratitude itself can improve your outlook. It’s no wonder gratitude is often used as part of a larger strategy to treat depression and anxiety.
🧠 HIGHER SELF-ESTEEM
Social media, celebrity news stories and constant advertising can cause us to compare ourselves to others, rather than appreciating the abundance in our own lives. This inevitably leads to envy, resentment and low self-esteem. Gratitude reverses those effects, reducing social comparisons and increasing our life gratification.
🧠 MORE INNER STRENGTH
Think of someone who faces adversity with mental toughness and comes out stronger on the other side. Even in the worst of circumstances, those who find things to be thankful for can find ways to dig deep and benefit from the strength they discover within themselves.
PHYSICAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF GRATITUDE
In addition to the psychological effects like reduced stress and increased optimism, we also see many amazing health benefits of gratitude.
✌️ BETTER SLEEP
According to the CDC, 1 in 3 Americans doesn’t get enough sleep. That means they’re missing out on proven health benefits like reduced chances of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Gratitude can help. Those who rate themselves as more grateful report better sleep quality, longer sleep and a greater ability to fall asleep quickly.
✌️ HEART HEALTH
Perhaps it’s the sleep benefits that lead to this proven health benefit of gratitude: Studies have found numerous ways it improves heart health. Benefits include reduced inflammation and better heart rate variability– all indicators of good heart health. In addition to eating a healthy diet and exercising, gratitude may be just what your heart needs to stay strong.
✌️ MORE DRIVE TO EXERCISE
While studying the benefits of gratitude, researchers got a surprising result: In addition to fewer headaches, reduced nausea and other positives, participants reported increased drive to exercise. And the health benefits of exercise are well-known. Leverage this new inspiration by finding a form of exercise you enjoy and making it a part of your daily routine.
✌️ LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE
In a 2007 study that quickly became a classic, patients with hypertension who “counted their blessings” had lower blood pressure than those who didn’t. In another study, women writing in a gratitude journal for two weeks experienced lower blood pressure (including myself!!!) than women reporting on their daily activities. That’s right – one of the biggest benefits of gratitude is there for anyone who keeps a journal! It’s true!
Fun Fact about my gratitude journaling: I get as detailed as being grateful for everyday blessings we don’t usually think about: the sun shining (could you imagine it always being dark and gloomy?!), the birds chirping (too much silence for me without them!), the wind blowing (ahh, the beautiful breeze), heart pumping, organs working, eyes to see and ears to hear, nose to smell. Being grateful for the small (yet HUGE in my opinion) everyday parts of your life, add up to the biggest impacts on your view of life.
✌️ HEALTHIER RELATIONSHIPS
We intuitively know that friendships and romantic relationships are one of the best parts of life. Gratitude can help you keep those relationships strong. Expressing how thankful you are for your partner improves the quality of the relationship. And showing your friends appreciation can help grow lasting, deeper, more true friendships. These deep bonds help reduce loneliness and lengthen lifespan – some of the best health benefits of gratitude out there.
✌️ LESS JEALOUSY
When you are grateful, there’s no room in your mind for negative emotions like fear, anger and jealousy. You know that you are living in complete abundance. You know you have everything you need. And you know you are in control of your own happiness. What others have doesn’t affect how you feel about your own life.
✌️ A CONNECTION TO THE UNIVERSE
One of the unexpected (spiritual) benefits of gratitude is that it can make us feel more connected to each other and to the world. It gives us a fresh perspective on our lives, allowing us to find the blessing in every situation and realize that life is happening for us, not to us. This is so important to remember in life that we are going to say it again, life happens FOR us, not TO us. It awakens a higher consciousness so that we can connect with the universe on a new level.
✌️ MORE DRIVE TO GIVE BACK
Spirituality and contribution are together at the very top of the Pyramid of Mastery (soon to come on that topic). When we feel connected to the universe, we know that we are all one – and we are driven to give back to those less fortunate. Gratitude radiates out from our lives and creates a cycle that touches everyone around us.
Gratitude is a selfless act. Its acts are done unconditionally, to show to people that they are appreciated. “A gift that is freely given” is one way to understand what these acts are like. Next time you have a free moment, try practicing some gratitude. You might just be surprised by the benefits it brings you. As always, let us know your thoughts and experiences with this valuable emotion by emailing andrea@hhihospitality.com or tag us @healthyhabithhi on Instagram or Facebook.
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ——Ralph Waldo Emerson
With Love and Much Appreciation,
Andrea
P.S. A great book to dig deeper into living and leading with heart and gratitude, check out the book: ABOVE THE LINE by Stephen and Mara Klemich, link below!
