How Expressing Your Gratitude (Greatly) Improves Your Well-being
as Well as Theirs by www.Sedona.com “Religions and philosophies have long embraced gratitude as an indispensable manifestation of virtue, and an integral component of health, wholeness, and well-being,” according to University of California Davis psychology professor Robert Emmons. Yet, these days, the simple act of giving thanks gets largely overlooked, save for say one day a year devoted to the occasion. Inherently you may feel that expressing gratitude is a positive thing, but scientific studies are beginning to bear out just how incredibly positive giving thanks can be. As it turns out, gratitude has been described as the “forgotten factor” in happiness research, according to Emmons, and learning how to harness this factor in your daily life is a simple way to get a lot more out of life. Being Grateful is Good for Your Mind and Body Emmons and colleagues, in their gratitude research, have uncovered some startling (in a good way) findings about the power of giving thanks. Consider these amazing benefits: • Greater Optimism and Physical Fitness: People who kept weekly gratitude journals exercised on a more regular basis, felt better physically and about their lives in general, and had a more optimistic attitude about the upcoming week than people who recorded negative or neutral things in a journal. • Achieve Your Goals: Those who kept gratitude lists were closer to attaining their personal goals after a two-month period than those who did not. • Stress Relief: Being grateful is also an effective way to release stress, according to Emmons. "Gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress," he said in a WebMD article. • Greater Sense of Wellbeing and Positive Emotions: People who are grateful report higher levels of positive emotions, vitality and life satisfaction, and lower levels of depression and stress. • Helps You Cope With Illness: Among people with a neuromuscular disease, Emmons found that a “21-day gratitude intervention” produced more “high-energy positive moods, a greater sense of feeling connected to others, more optimistic ratings of one’s life, and better sleep duration and sleep quality, relative to a control group.” Of course, being grateful is also beneficial for others. Giving thanks helps other people feel recognized, which is a basic and fundamental need in all of us. How to Give Thanks and be Grateful in Your Daily Life When life is hard, expressing gratitude can be a challenge, but even when things are going well it’s easy to take them for granted and forget to give thanks. Being grateful is something that most of us need to make a conscious effort to do, but once you get into the swing of it you’ll find that gratitude melds easily with your daily life. If you are having trouble finding reasons to feel thankful, or if you’re finding it difficult to fully appreciate the good in your life, consider learning The Sedona Method. The Method will show you how to let go of the negative emotions that are blocking your gratitude. Once you learn to let go, something you’ll be able to do on-the-spot (even in difficult situations), you’ll find that your outlook has brightened and you’ll be able to accept, appreciate and express gratitude for all the positive things in your life. Other practical ways you can express gratitude include: 1. Keep a gratitude journal that lists everything you’re thankful for. 2. Write a thank you note to a parent, a teacher, a mentor or anyone else in your life who deserves a pat on the back. 3. Begin and end each day by thinking of five things you’re grateful for. 4. Tell your significant other how much you appreciate him or her on a regular basis. 5. When things go your way, smile and be thankful for them.
Sources
Dimensions and Perspectives of Gratitude, Robert A. Emmons, University of California, Davis and Michael E. McCullough, University of Miami
http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/labs/emmons/ WebMD.com
http://women.webmd.com/guide/gratitute-health-boost?page=1
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