Gratitudeplaysanimportantroleinpositivelytransformingourmental,emotional,spiritualandphysicalhealth.Thispracticecanbedoneindifferentways,frommaintainingagratitudejournaltoprayinginsomeformortheother.Whicheverwayyouchoose,thegoalmustbetoexpressappreciationtowardseverythinginlife,includingthegiftofbeingalive. Beinggratefulinvolveslookingatthegoodandpositivesideofthingsandpeople.Thishasadirectimpactonyourmoodandemotions,andultimatelyleadstoanoverallelevationinhowyoufeel.Inordertoincludethispracticeinyourroutine,youcancarryoutoneofthefollowingactivitieseveryday-Gratitudejournalingorpenningdownthoughtsabouteachperson,thing,orexperienceyouarethankfulforTakingintoconsiderationeachandeveryaspectoflife,beitsmallorbig,andrealisingtheoveralleffectithasonyouConveyingyourgratitudetopeoplewhohavedonesomethingforyouorhavebeenthereforyou,evenifthisinstancehappenedawhilebackBeingkindandprovidinghelpandsupporttopeoplearoundyouandthosewhoneeditinoursocietyinordertoexpressgratitudeTakingupmeditationtocompletelyexperiencethepowerofgratitude BeingthankfulthroughtheformofprayersResearchshowsthatgratitudeplaysasignificantroleinimprovingourhealthandcontributestoanoverallsenseofwell-being.Someofthehealthbenefitsofbeingthankfularegivenbelow.1.ImprovestheImmuneSystemWhilepractisinggratitude,youbegintoappreciateyourlifeandeverythingitconsistsof.Thisalsoleadstoanoverallacceptanceofsituationsandthings.Consequently,beinggratefulreducesthestressthatmaypersistconsciouslyorsubconsciously.Hence,yourincreasedmentalandemotionalwellbeingstrengthensyourbody’simmuneresponseandyouareinabetterpositiontofightanydiseaseorillness.Thisfacthasbeencorroboratedbyaresearchreviewconductedin2004.2. GoodForYourHeartGratitudefeelsendearingandheartwarming,andadevelopingassemblageofworkrecommendsthatbeingthankfulmayassistwithkeepingourheartssoundandhealthyaswell.Thislineofresearchandstudystartedin1995,whenaninvestigationfoundthatindividualswhopracticedappreciation(afeelingidentifiedwithbeinggrateful)havefurtherdevelopedanimprovementinheartratevariability,whichisanindicatorofgoodheartwellbeing.Inalaterreport,womenwhomaintainedagratitudediaryforaboutfourteendayswheretheywroteaboutindividualsandthingsintheirlifewhichwerepreviouslyleftunappreciatedhadlowerbloodpressure.Together,thesefindingsanddifferentoutcomesrecommendthatfeelingappreciationandgratitudecanbeusefulforsoundandhealthyhearts. RecentstudiesandexaminationsbyPaulMills,LauraRedwine,andassociateshavetestedtheconnectionbetweengratitudeandwellbeinginindividualswithStageB,asymptomaticcardiovascularbreakdownorheartfailurewhichincludesindividualswhoseheartshaveexperiencedunderlyingharmwithoutanyoutwardsideeffects.Intheirinvestigationof186patients,morethankfulandgratefulindividualsrevealedbetterrest,lessexhaustion,lessmisery,moretrustintheircapacitytoreallyfocusonthemselves,andlowerlevelsoffoundationalirritation(aresistantreactionthatcannegativelyaffectthebody,includingthecardiovascularframework).Patientswhopractisedeverydayappreciationthroughjournalingforabouttwomonthsadditionallyshoweddiminishedmarkersofirritationtowardtheendoftheresearchstudy.Theseoutcomesareparticularlysignificantgiventhatbothsadness,depressionandsleepissuescanworsenheartfailure,andtheyproposethatagratitudediarymayundoubtedlybeadecentadditiontothecarewhichneedstobetakenforheartpatients. 3.ImprovesyoursleepcycleGratitudeincreasesthelevelandqualityofsleep,decreasesthetimeneededtodozeoff,andincreasesthedurationofyourrestingspan.Itcanhelpwithinsomniaandothersleep-relatedproblems.Thekeyliesbehindourthoughtswhenwearetryingtofallasleep.Incaseitsanyformofstressoverthechildren,oruneasinessaboutwork,thedegreeofstressinourbodywillbuild,decreasingrestandsleepquality,andkeepingusawakethroughoutmostofthenight.However,ifgratitudeispractised,ourrelaxationresponsewillbeactivatedandwewillbeabletofallsoundasleepwithoutanyhiccupsduringnighttime. 4. IncreasesenergylevelsAppreciationandvitalityareunequivocallyrelated–thosewhoarethankfulareconsiderablymorepronetoreportbetterphysicalandmentalstamina.Thisimpliesthatenergylevelsandgratitudearefirmlyassociatedbecausewithmorelifesatisfactionandoptimism,yourvitalityandlevelofeffortisboundtoincrease.5.MakesyouexercisemoreGratitudemotivatesandencouragesyoutotakecareofyourphysicalhealthandexercisemore.Thisisbecauseyoustartappreciatingtheabilityofyourownbodyandwanttokeepitinafitandhealthystateforalongerandbetterqualityoflife.AnexperimentalstudyconductedbyMichaelMcCulloughandEmmonsexaminesthephysicalandpsychologicaleffectsofbeingthankful.Duringthisresearch,encouragementwasprovidedtotheparticipantstomaintaingratitudejournalsordiariesthatwouldkeeparecordoftheiractivitieseveryweek.Onthebasisoftheserecords,thosewhoweremorethankfulandpractisedgratitudeweresimultaneouslyinvolvedinhealthyactivitieswhichhelpedthemstayinshape.Theseexerciseshelpedincreasethelevelofserotoninintheirbodies,whichisassociatedwithfeelingsofhappinessandstabilityinmood.Thestudyalsoconcludedthatexercisinghelpedimprovetheoverallwellbeingofparticipantsalongwithmakingtheiroutlooktowardslifeingeneralmorepositiveandaccepting. 6.IncreasestheToleranceforPainGratitudefurtherdevelopsthelevelofpaintoleranceinyourmindandbody.Studiesshowthatpracticingappreciationeverydaydecreasesapersonssensitivitytowardspain(TheSportsandSpinalGroup,2020).AsindicatedbypsychologistandfoundingdirectoroftheChronicPainandRecoveryCenter BruceF.Artist,theactofgratitudemaynottotallyremovechronicpain,howeverittendstobeasuccessfulpainmanagementtechniqueasithelpsshiftthefocusawayfromtheactualpaintothepositivethingsandpeopleinstead.7.KeepsControlOverGlucoseLevelsBeingthankfulcanhelpmaintainthelevelofglucoseinyourbody.PractisinggratitudehasresultedinreducedlevelsofHaemoglobinA1c,whichisacontrolindicatorofglucoseandassistsindiagnosingdiseasessuchasdiabetes.Asperthefindingsofthisstudy,individualswhoaregratefulhavebeenreportedtoshowcaseadecreaseof9%to13%intheirHaemoglobinA1clevels. 8. YoulivelongerGratitudeexpandsthelifeexpectancyandleadstoalongerlifespan.Asapositivefeeling,beingthankfulfurtherdevelopsapersonsgeneralprosperity.Anillustrationofthisisthewayappreciationofpeopleandthingsimprovesoptimism,whichinturnbattlesthehealthrisksbroughtbycultivatingaskepticalandnegativeviewpointthroughouteverydaylife(accordingtoBoyles,2009). 9.HelpsyoucontrolovereatingAccordingtoSusanPeirceThompson,acognitivescientistwhospecializesinthepsychologyofeating,“gratitudereplenisheswillpower.”ThisconceptissimilartotheNortheasternexaminationthatdiscoveredanassociationamongappreciationandpersistence:Thompsonsaysdevelopingsensationsofappreciationcansupportyourmotivationcontrol,assistingyouwitheasingbackandsettlingonbetterchoices.Wheneveryourealisethatyou’rebeginningtoeatevenafteryourstomachisfull,Thompsonprescribespardoningyourselffromthetabletowritedownafastrundownofthingsyoureappreciativeandgratefulfor,whichcanhelpyouclearyourbrainandreset.10.ImprovesmentalwellbeingTakingacoupleofsecondstoreflectonthankfulnessandgratitudecanwidenyourviewpoint,accordingtoIleneRosenstein,apsychologist.Sheaddedthatbeinggratefulhelpsinassistingyouwithdiscoveringimportanceinsmallyetpleasantandmemorablemoments,suchaseatingyourfavouritemealortidyingupthehouse.Trackingdownthoseminorsourcesofhappinesscanpreventyoufromharpingonaboutwhatyoudonthave,andratherhelpyoucontemplatewhatsatisfiesyou.Writinginanappreciationdiarycanassemblearecordofgoodsentimentsandexperiencesthatyoucandrawonduringsituationswhichareunpleasantinyoureverydaylife.Showingyourloveandgratitudetothepeopleinyourlifewillsurelymakeyourconnectiongrowandbecomestrongerthanbefore.Ithasbeenproventhatindividualswhoarethankfulgetlesssetofforfurious,theyfeelgoodsentimentsandemotions,andthatimprovestheirlifeandwellbeing. 11.Increasesyourself-esteemWhenyouappreciatelifeandacceptyourcircumstances,youautomaticallybegintofeelasenseofsatisfactionwithyourself.Thishelpsincreaseyourconfidenceandsenseofselfworthandesteem.Youbecomemorecomfortableandconfidentwithyourself,andyourapproachtowardslifecompletelyshiftstobeingpositiveandhappy. 12.RemovesnegativeortoxicemotionsYouwillnoticeasignificantchangeinyourfeelingsonceyoubegintopractisegratitude.Thenumberofnegativeortoxicemotionslikeanger,jealousy,annoyance,andfrustrationwillreduceandyouwillfeelatpeacewithyourselfandyourlife. 13.ItreducesmaterialismfromyourmindAlthoughmaterialmeansarethebareminimumnecessaryforsurvival,overestimatingtheirvaluecanbepersonallyharmful.Forexample,materialismisconsistentlycorrelatedtolowerlifesatisfaction.Researcherssuggestthatthishappensbecausematerialisticindividualsdependoncommoditiestofindhappinessand theyfindithardtofeelgrateful,whichcanfurtherberelatedtounmetpsychologicalandemotionalneeds.Moreover,thesame2014researchcitedabovehasshownthatpeoplewhoregularlypracticegratitudearelessmaterialisticandtendtobemoresatisfiedwiththeirlivesandthematerialpossessionstheyalreadyhave.14.FurtherdevelopsworksatisfactionandselfworthFortunately,positivepsychologicalstudieshaveleftaneffectonvocationimprovement,careerdevelopmentandcounselling.Thatisthereasonbecauseofwhichwehavearichassortmentofexperimentalexaminationaboutcharacteristicsandpropensitiesthatareidentifiedwithgeneralworkfulfillment.Ongoingresearchfrom2015uncoveredthatappreciationandgratitudearequitepossiblythemainfactorsthataffectindividualsfeelingofsignificanceatwork.Thankfulindividualsappeartobetheoneswhowindup"carryingonwiththeirlifesmotivation",andfurthermore,theyremorejoyfulintheirworkenvironment.Yet,thatisnotall.Executingthepracticeofgratitudeatworkfundamentallyworksonrepresentativespsychologicalwellnessanddecreasestheirapparentpressureandburdensomesideeffectscausedduetotheirindividualworkload.Appreciationendsupbeingadefensivefactor,whichworksonindividualsflexibilityinawiderangeofdistressingcircumstances.Whenyouareabletoreducethestressorsfromwork,yourefficiencyandworkcontributionincreasestremendouslywhichleadstoasenseofsatisfactionwithyourworkandanoverallupliftmentinyourself-worth.Youbegintoseeyourcapabilitiesandworkhardertoachieveyourgoalsinyourprofession. Gratitudeisfilledwithbenefitsthatimpactbothourmindandbodieswhileimprovingourrelationshipsandperspectives.Afeelingofappreciationandthankfulnessisafundamentalskillforeverybody–youthfulandold–tocultivateandpractise.Youbecomemoreoptimisticandallowyourselftoexperienceeachmomentinthepresent.Thisapproachtolifemakesyourelisheachmomentandexperiencelifethoroughly.Themostimportantoutcomeofgratitudeisacceptance,ofcircumstancesandsituationsthatlifemaythrowatyou.Ithelpsyounavigatethroughhighsandlowswithcompleteknowledgeaboutwhatyoucancontrolandwhatliesbeyondyourcapabilities.Everydifficultsituationishandledwithaproblem-solvingapproachbecauseyoureabletoworktowardsthelightattheendofthetunnel,andyoutakeeverycurvethrownatyouinstridebecauseyouacceptthatitwilleventuallyleadtoalesson.Itwillhelpyouimprove,growandtransformintothebestpossibleversionofyourself,andmakethejourneyoflifemuchmoresimplerandsmoother.
Gratitude plays an important role in positively transforming our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health. This practice can be done in different ways, from maintaining a gratitude journal to praying in some form or the other. Whichever way you choose, the goal must be to express appreciation towards everything in life, including the gift of being alive.
Being grateful involves looking at the good and positive side of things and people. This has a direct impact on your mood and emotions, and ultimately leads to an overall elevation in how you feel. In order to include this practice in your routine, you can carry out one of the following activities every day -
- Gratitude journaling or penning down thoughts about each person, thing, or experience you are thankful for
- Taking into consideration each and every aspect of life, be it small or big, and realising the overall effect it has on you
- Conveying your gratitude to people who have done something for you or have been there for you, even if this instance happened a while back
- Being kind and providing help and support to people around you and those who need it in our society in order to express gratitude
- Taking up meditation to completely experience the power of gratitude
- Being thankful through the form of prayers
Research shows that gratitude plays a significant role in improving our health and contributes to an overall sense of well-being. Some of the health benefits of being thankful are given below.
1. Improves the Immune System
While practising gratitude, you begin to appreciate your life and everything it consists of. This also leads to an overall acceptance of situations and things. Consequently, being grateful reduces the stress that may persist consciously or subconsciously. Hence, your increased mental and emotional wellbeing strengthens your body’s immune response and you are in a better position to fight any disease or illness. This fact has been corroborated by a research review conducted in 2004.
2. Good For Your Heart
Gratitude feels endearing and heartwarming, and a developing assemblage of work recommends that being thankful may assist with keeping our hearts sound and healthy as well. This line of research and study started in 1995, when an investigation found that individuals who practiced appreciation (a feeling identified with being grateful) have further developed an improvement in heart rate variability, which is an indicator of good heart wellbeing. In a later report, women who maintained a gratitude diary for about fourteen days where they wrote about individuals and things in their life which were previously left unappreciated had lower blood pressure. Together, these findings and different outcomes recommend that feeling appreciation and gratitude can be useful for sound and healthy hearts.
Recent studies and examinations by Paul Mills, Laura Redwine, and associates have tested the connection between gratitude and wellbeing in individuals with Stage B, asymptomatic cardiovascular breakdown or heart failure which includes individuals whose hearts have experienced underlying harm without any outward side effects. In their investigation of 186 patients, more thankful and grateful individuals revealed better rest, less exhaustion, less misery, more trust in their capacity to really focus on themselves, and lower levels of foundational irritation (a resistant reaction that can negatively affect the body, including the cardiovascular framework). Patients who practised everyday appreciation through journaling for about two months additionally showed diminished markers of irritation toward the end of the research study. These outcomes are particularly significant given that both sadness, depression and sleep issues can worsen heart failure, and they propose that a gratitude diary may undoubtedly be a decent addition to the care which needs to be taken for heart patients.
3. Improves your sleep cycle
Gratitude increases the level and quality of sleep, decreases the time needed to doze off, and increases the duration of your resting span. It can help with insomnia and other sleep-related problems. The key lies behind our thoughts when we are trying to fall asleep. In case it's any form of stress over the children, or uneasiness about work, the degree of stress in our body will build, decreasing rest and sleep quality, and keeping us awake throughout most of the night. However, if gratitude is practised, our relaxation response will be activated and we will be able to fall sound asleep without any hiccups during night time.
4. Increases energy levels
Appreciation and vitality are unequivocally related – those who are thankful are considerably more prone to report better physical and mental stamina. This implies that energy levels and gratitude are firmly associated because with more life satisfaction and optimism, your vitality and level of effort is bound to increase.
5. Makes you exercise more
Gratitude motivates and encourages you to take care of your physical health and exercise more. This is because you start appreciating the ability of your own body and want to keep it in a fit and healthy state for a longer and better quality of life. An experimental study conducted by Michael McCullough and Emmons examines the physical and psychological effects of being thankful. During this research, encouragement was provided to the participants to maintain gratitude journals or diaries that would keep a record of their activities every week. On the basis of these records, those who were more thankful and practised gratitude were simultaneously involved in healthy activities which helped them stay in shape. These exercises helped increase the level of serotonin in their bodies, which is associated with feelings of happiness and stability in mood. The study also concluded that exercising helped improve the overall wellbeing of participants along with making their outlook towards life in general more positive and accepting.
6. Increases the Tolerance for Pain
Gratitude further develops the level of pain tolerance in your mind and body. Studies show that practicing appreciation everyday decreases a person's sensitivity towards pain (The Sports and Spinal Group, 2020). As indicated by psychologist and founding director of the Chronic Pain and Recovery Center Bruce F. Artist, the act of gratitude may not totally remove chronic pain, however it tends to be a successful pain management technique as it helps shift the focus away from the actual pain to the positive things and people instead.
7. Keeps Control Over Glucose Levels
Being thankful can help maintain the level of glucose in your body. Practising gratitude has resulted in reduced levels of Haemoglobin A1c, which is a control indicator of glucose and assists in diagnosing diseases such as diabetes. As per the findings of this study, individuals who are grateful have been reported to showcase a decrease of 9% to 13% in their Haemoglobin A1c levels.
8. You live longer
Gratitude expands the life expectancy and leads to a longer life span. As a positive feeling, being thankful further develops a person's general prosperity. An illustration of this is the way appreciation of people and things improves optimism, which in turn battles the health risks brought by cultivating a skeptical and negative viewpoint throughout everyday life (according to Boyles, 2009).
9. Helps you control overeating
According to Susan Peirce Thompson, a cognitive scientist who specializes in the psychology of eating, “gratitude replenishes willpower.” This concept is similar to the Northeastern examination that discovered an association among appreciation and persistence: Thompson says developing sensations of appreciation can support your motivation control, assisting you with easing back and settling on better choices. Whenever you realise that you’re beginning to eat even after your stomach is full, Thompson prescribes pardoning yourself from the table to write down a fast rundown of things you're appreciative and grateful for, which can help you clear your brain and reset.
10. Improves mental well being
Taking a couple of seconds to reflect on thankfulness and gratitude can widen your viewpoint, according to Ilene Rosenstein, a psychologist. She added that being grateful helps in assisting you with discovering importance in small yet pleasant and memorable moments, such as eating your favourite meal or tidying up the house.Tracking down those minor sources of happiness can prevent you from harping on about what you don't have, and rather help you contemplate what satisfies you. Writing in an appreciation diary can assemble a record of good sentiments and experiences that you can draw on during situations which are unpleasant in your everyday life. Showing your love and gratitude to the people in your life will surely make your connection grow and become stronger than before. It has been proven that individuals who are thankful get less set off or furious, they feel good sentiments and emotions, and that improves their life and wellbeing.
11. Increases your self-esteem
When you appreciate life and accept your circumstances, you automatically begin to feel a sense of satisfaction with yourself. This helps increase your confidence and sense of self worth and esteem. You become more comfortable and confident with yourself, and your approach towards life completely shifts to being positive and happy.
12. Removes negative or toxic emotions
You will notice a significant change in your feelings once you begin to practise gratitude. The number of negative or toxic emotions like anger, jealousy, annoyance, and frustration will reduce and you will feel at peace with yourself and your life.
13. It reduces materialism from your mind
Although material means are the bare minimum necessary for survival, overestimating their value can be personally harmful. For example, materialism is consistently correlated to lower life satisfaction. Researchers suggest that this happens because materialistic individuals depend on commodities to find happiness and they find it hard to feel grateful, which can further be related to unmet psychological and emotional needs. Moreover, the same 2014 research cited above has shown that people who regularly practice gratitude are less materialistic and tend to be more satisfied with their lives and the material possessions they already have.
14. Further develops work satisfaction and self worth
Fortunately, positive psychological studies have left an effect on vocation improvement, career development and counselling. That is the reason because of which we have a rich assortment of experimental examination about characteristics and propensities that are identified with general work fulfillment. Ongoing research from 2015 uncovered that appreciation and gratitude are quite possibly the main factors that affect individuals' feeling of significance at work. Thankful individuals appear to be the ones who wind up "carrying on with their life's motivation", and furthermore, they're more joyful in their work environment. Yet, that is not all. Executing the practice of gratitude at work fundamentally works on representatives' psychological wellness and decreases their apparent pressure and burdensome side effects caused due to their individual workload. Appreciation ends up being a defensive factor, which works on individuals' flexibility in a wide range of distressing circumstances. When you are able to reduce the stressors from work, your efficiency and work contribution increases tremendously which leads to a sense of satisfaction with your work and an overall upliftment in your self-worth. You begin to see your capabilities and work harder to achieve your goals in your profession.
Gratitude is filled with benefits that impact both our mind and bodies while improving our relationships and perspectives. A feeling of appreciation and thankfulness is a fundamental skill for everybody – youthful and old – to cultivate and practise. You become more optimistic and allow yourself to experience each moment in the present. This approach to life makes you relish each moment and experience life thoroughly. The most important outcome of gratitude is acceptance, of circumstances and situations that life may throw at you. It helps you navigate through highs and lows with complete knowledge about what you can control and what lies beyond your capabilities. Every difficult situation is handled with a problem-solving approach because you're able to work towards the light at the end of the tunnel, and you take every curve thrown at you in stride because you accept that it will eventually lead to a lesson. It will help you improve, grow and transform into the best possible version of yourself, and make the journey of life much more simpler and smoother.
