Today I want to share with you the power of gratitude. First of all, let’s define it:
grat·i·tude
noun \ˈgra-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\
: a feeling of appreciation or thanks
: the state of being grateful : thankfulness
One thing I teach my trainees is this: “Many people believe that happy people are grateful, but the opposite is even truer. It is grateful people who are happy.” This is a line right out of my classroom book. You may be thinking to yourself “That’s a bunch of hooey!” If that’s what you’re thinking, you are wrong!
There is now scientific proof that practicing gratitude daily greatly increases not only your emotional quality of life, but also your physical health! For example, one study compared three different groups of people. One group wrote weekly entries in a journal regarding 5 things they were grateful for. A second group wrote about five hassles they experienced. The third group wrote about five events that affected them in some way, be it positive or negative. What they found was that group only listing things they were grateful for wound up feeling more positive about their lives overall, were much more optimistic than the other participants, and even had fewer health problems by the end of the study! A second study made the entries a daily activity rather than weekly, and they found there was an even greater increase in gratitude in the participants.
One very profound study looked at people who suffered one heart attack. Those who really made changes after their heart attacks, such as being more grateful for what they have and appreciating life more, actually had a lower risk of having another heart attack. This really goes to show that being more grateful and focusing less on negative things in life can greatly benefit us overall!
Many in the scientific community believe that people are born with a “set point” for a level of happiness, similar to our natural set point for body weight. The research on gratitude challenges this notion. The gratitude studies mentioned above (as well as others I didn’t read about) show that we can actually change that set point, moving it upward and making big changes in our life outlooks as well as our physical health.
Joan Buchman is a longtime sufferer of Fibromyalgia. She knows first-hand what daily gratitude can do for your health. One snippet from her article is the following:
“Gratitude is not about "looking at the bright side" or denying the realities of life. Gratitude goes much deeper than that. It's about learning from a situation, taking the good to help deal with other challenges in the future. It's about finding out that you have more power over your life than you previously imagined. You can stop being a victim of your circumstances and reach out to the joy in living. If you open your heart to the good in your life, gratitude becomes as much a part of your life as breathing.” –Joan Buchman See her article here.
If you’re still reading and want some tips on how to increase your level of gratitude, here are 5:
1. Keep a daily (or weekly would be a good start) journal where you write down ONLY things that you are grateful for.
2. Use visual reminders, such as a gratitude rock or some other token that reminds you to think of things you are grateful for every time you see it.
3. Find someone else who practices gratitude and share your gratitude lists. Spending time with ungrateful people will have a negative effect on you, so try to surround yourself with grateful people.
4. Openly share with family and friends that you have a goal to be more grateful. This will hold you a bit more accountable and will increase chances of success.
5. Watch your inner dialogue. Notice how your mood is when this self-talk is negative. Turn it around, change your tone, and watch what happens to your mood. Think happy thoughts!
"If you want your life to be more rewarding, you have to change the way you think."
- Oprah Winfrey
- Oprah Winfrey
I hope you all choose to have a great(ful) day! J
