Katie - Wellness Mama
How wonderful it is to have a day dedicated to gratitude and thankfulness! Many of us are well aware of the spiritual benefits of cultivating gratitude in our lives, but it turns out that these benefits can even extend to physical health!
It is no secret that stress has a negative impact on health, but research is finding that an “attitude of gratitude” can be a successful antidote to external stressors. As this articlepoints out:
Grateful people — those who perceive gratitude as a permanent trait rather than a temporary state of mind — have an edge on the not-so-grateful when it comes to health, according to Emmons’ research on gratitude. “Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, regular physical examinations”.
Cultivating an attitude of thankfulness has also been linked to better immune function,better ability to relax, and even decreased rates of disease.
Thankfully, (haha) cultivating a grateful attitude can be one of the easiest things you do for your health! As this article suggests, a few simple changes can help make gratitude a habit.
One thing I do daily is to make a list of a few things that I am especially grateful for that particular day. Whether little things like my garden or the dishwasher to big things like my family, my faith, and my wonderful husband, I’ve found that this does help to keep the focus on the many blessings in my life.
As Martha Washington said:
“I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.”
So, if you are grateful for anything today, please share it below in the comments! Five things I’m very grateful for today are:
- My family
- My faith
- Getting to sleep in today!
- All the healthy food cooking in the kitchen
- You! I feel so blessed to get to “meet” all of the wonderful people who stop by and leave comments!
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