Get the New Year started by expressing gratitude every day and reap these rewards year round. Improve your satisfaction with life with an “attitude of gratitude.”
- Improves your attitude.
Expressing gratitude makes you feel more positive and optimistic, which can reduce stress and help improve your overall mental resilience. - Builds stronger relationships.
A simple “thank you” lays the foundation for a stronger relationship, whether you’re expressing gratitude to a loved one or to a stranger. Saying thanks is a way to recognize a person for their support or service, which fosters a feeling of being special. - Improves your mental health.
Keep a gratitude journal and whenever you begin to feel down, jot down three things for which you are thankful. Studies show that expressing gratitude helps you handle your emotions may even reduce depression. - Enhances your physical health.
Studies show a strong correlation between gratitude and health. Put simple, people who are thankful tend to healthier. They tend to exercise more frequently and take proactive steps to maintaining their health. - Boosts your self-esteem.
Taking stock of what you’re grateful for helps you maintain perspective and makes you less likely to prepare yourself to other people. - Promotes better sleep.
Keeping a gratitude journal to recount the details of the days’ thankful moments boosts your mood and reduces stress, which can help you sleep better at night. - Increases your empathy for others.
Gratitude may make you more sensitive toward other people’s feelings. Studies show grateful people are less likely to resort to retribution when they experience negativity from others. - Spreads happiness.
Gratitude positively impacts your overall well-being, making you happier and more satisfied with your life.
There are many ways to express your gratitude. Writing them out daily in a journal gives you a resource to refer to in times of trouble. Many a book has been written on the topic. Here are three to get your started:
- Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier by Robert Emmons, Ph.D. explains the science behind the benefits of expressing gratitude.
- Gratitude: A Way of Life by Louise L. Hay is a series of essays about the power of incorporating gratitude into everyday life.
- Gratitude: A Journal by Catherine Price is a journal in which to record what you’re grateful for each day. Stay inspired with quotes and writing prompts.
Source:
Forbes, 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude, Nov. 23, 2014
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