Gratitude can be defined as the act of showing appreciation or being thankful for an action done.
Science and medical research have shown that expressing gratitude can result to a higher quality of life. People who are grateful are said to live longer and are healthier, mentally and emotionally. Here are seven health benefits you derive from of practicing gratitude every day.
➡ You have healthy relationships
Being grateful every day only means letting the essential people in your life know that they and their actions matter to you. This will end up enhancing your relationships with others.
➡ It reduces stress
Stress is part of life, but allowing yourself to be enmeshed in it is harmful. When you experience mental and emotional stress, your body releases the stress hormone, cortisol. This hormone impacts your body in a negative way, leading to physical and emotional health problems. But expressing gratitude releases feel good hormones and combats stress, hence providing a good form of stress relief.
The stress relief you receive from being appreciative leads to a healthier body and mind.
➡ Your Social health improves.
Human beings are social animals. We are not supposed to be alone. People who are not grateful to the people, in their lives tend to stay away from others. Also if there are not appreciative of themselves, they isolate from others. They hide away in their homes, fostering a negative view on the world. When you appreciate the people and things in your life, you will want to socialise more. So gratitude will improve your social health.
The exact scientific and physiological connections between gratitude and better health are not entirely known. That doesn’t mean that positive effects noticed in grateful people can’t be tracked. One benefit scientists and sleep researchers have found in people that express gratitude regularly is healthier sleep patterns. This leads to better overall health because you will sleep better.
➡ Expressing Gratitude Improves your mental health
Manifold studies proved that being grateful can increase your long-term well-being. They recommended that you write down the things you were grateful for. A study showed that just writing down the things you are thankful for every day can increase your health and well-being by more than 10% and make you happier. Those studies showed something even more remarkable; it said that the happiness level you get from writing things you were grateful about was the same as people who got double their income!
➡ Gratitude Makes People Like You
This benefit is quite easy to understand. When you tell people how important they are to you, that they matter, this makes them feel good, and they are drawn to you. They would want to be around you. When you make it a habit of expressing how grateful you are for others, rather than leaving it unspoken and assumed, you become a more likable person.
➡ Gratefulness Beats Depression
The Positive Psychology Progress study wanted to see how daily gratitude would affect the life of depressed individuals. The results were astonishing. Keeping a gratitude journal “lowered symptoms of depression by 30% for as long as the practice was continued.” When test subjects took the time to make a physical visit to someone and express their gratitude, that single visit “reduced depressive symptoms by 35% for several weeks.”
Conclusion
You can express gratitude by offering sincere commendation and complimenting others. Be thankful and be healthy.
| AUTHORS BIO
Nwokolo Collins is a passionate health and fitness blogger that loves sharing information with others. He writes useful articles on his health blog www.youmustgethealthy.com Find him on Twitter and Facebook.
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