Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so it’s the perfect time to remind ourselves about the importance of being grateful. Did you know that the power of gratitude is a real thing? There are benefits to being thankful. Here’s how you can take the power of gratitude into your own hands and positively change your own life.
Thankful Thanksgiving: Why Gratitude Is so Gangster
Get More Sleep
Write down what you are grateful for in a journal every night. Then spend 5-10 minutes reflecting on those things, people, and experiences before you fall asleep. This activity helps you quiet your mind and focus on the positive before you drift off to dreamland.
Make New Friends
Studies have shown that if you express thanks to others, you are more likely to be seen as being warm and personable, which in turn will make it easier and more likely for you to have friends and make new ones.
Have a Healthier Heart
According to studies done by Paul J. Mills at the University of California, San Diego, patients who kept gratitude journals had “reductions in circulating levels of several important inflammatory biomarkers, as well as an increase in heart rate variability while they wrote. Improved heart rate variability is considered a measure of reduced cardiac risk.”
Be More Optimistic
When you reflect on the good in your life, you can’t help but feel happy, accomplished, and excited for the future. Having a healthier, more optimistic outlook is good for your overall mental wellbeing.
Improve Physical Health
The power of gratitude even extends to physical health. Studies show that people who feel gratitude are more likely to participate in physical activity and seek help for any health concerns. We all know the benefits of physical activity are plentiful, and being grateful for the life you have been given makes you want to protect it that much more.
When you partake in feeling thankful at Thanksgiving, those feelings of gratitude often extend beyond the holiday itself. How do you plan to keep the power of gratitude present in your life year-round? Tweet me @lorenridinger or leave me some love in the comment section below.
