As we move toward the holiday season and prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, a time to come together with the ones we love and be grateful for those around us. Being thankful and expressing gratitude not only brings a wealth of emotional and interpersonal benefits but there are also a surprising number of physical benefits too.
Here are four reasons to practice gratitude and how to do it. Being grateful is proven to reduce depression. Try writing a daily gratitude journal, listing three things you’re grateful for each day. Even if you’re going through a hard time, doing this will help you appreciate the good things around you that you may not have even noticed, reducing your stress levels.
Being grateful improves sleep. Going to bed with a happy thought helps you to throw away nighttime anxiety and sleep more peacefully.
Think of someone who’s affected your life for the better and go and say thank you to them. Thinking of their positive impact on you as you hit the pillow will send you off to sleep soundly. Being grateful improves digestion.
Amazingly, studies have shown that there is a link between our attitudes toward our body and its ability to digest properly. So taking a moment to say to yourself, “I am thankful for my body and what it does for me” can help to actually improve your digestive system’s functions!
Being grateful improves your senses. Showing thanks for the things around you can actually help you have a heightened appreciation of things like scents, sounds and sights. Taking a minute’s break every now and then to simply be grateful for the things in front of you can help improve your senses to no end.