Looking for the positive in hard situations can build fortitude and help you weather hardships. Even during the good times in your life, practicing gratitude has powerful benefits for your physical and mental well-being.
Research has shown gratitude improves sleep and blood pressure while reducing stress and anxiety. Keep reading to learn what gratitude is and how to reap its many benefits in your life today.
Gratitude is the state of being thankful. Practicing gratitude means you purposely look for and focus on the positive aspects of your life. It's a mindset you adopt over time through practice.
Acknowledging and embracing the blessings in your life causes specific changes in your body and brain that promote good health.
For example, gratitude triggers the release of serotonin and dopamine in your brain. These chemicals are linked to feelings of pleasure and improved mood, sleep quality, digestion and cognition.
Generally, when asked to list something you're grateful for, the answers that come to mind include:
However, meditating on your responses can deepen the meaning behind seemingly simple answers. Considering why you're grateful for these things can make your feelings of gratitude even stronger.
Think over specific details about your loved ones. List what inspires your gratitude, such as their smile and the experiences you've shared. Instead of just listing food on your table, think of something you treasure and why. It could be an item with a favorite taste or a nostalgic dish you enjoyed as a child.
Over time, your list may grow to include the way the sun feels on your skin, the sound of a beloved instrument or how your favorite flower smells.
With the vast benefits of gratitude, it's not surprising the Bible urges us to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
While it takes time to develop new habits, there are multiple ways to practice gratitude in your life.
One of the easiest ways to get started is to list a few things you're grateful for each day. You may wish to write five things while drinking your morning coffee or think about three as you lay down to sleep.
You can also keep a whiteboard or a piece of paper handy in your assisted living apartment at Cambridge Court. As you go about your daily activities, write things down as they come to mind. You can then look to see how many you've thought of by the end of the day.
Journals give you the freedom to collect your lists and memories in one place so you can read them again later. Additionally, reminiscing over previous blessings can help you see your past and present circumstances in a positive light.
A scheduled time, such as once a week, to write about an experience that's happened to you is a good way to turn gratitude into a habit. When you don't feel like writing, you can also draw, color or insert photographs and mementos.
For many seniors, loved ones and friends are counted among their blessings. Another gratitude habit is to write letters to people you appreciate.
This could be as simple as sending a thank-you card to someone for always making you laugh or to a grandchild who takes the time to contact you. You could also write letters or emails explaining to someone how they've inspired you, given you courage or prompted a change for the better in your life.
Besides writing letters and thank-you notes, you can express gratitude to others you encounter each day. If you often find yourself saying you're sorry for needing assistance or a moment of someone's time, try switching it to a thank you for their efforts.
You may also enjoy sharing with your friends and family what gratitude habits you're trying to form and inviting them to join you on the journey. This can give you the chance to inspire good things in others' lives while benefiting from an accountability partner.
You can share messages of gratitude with others and yourself by decorating your apartment here in Kearney, NE, with plaques and decorations conveying messages of thanksgiving.
Gratitude shifts your perspective away from the things you wish you could do or have to the things you're able to do and happy to have. Finding good aspects in hardships can be extremely difficult. However, practicing gratitude makes it easier to focus on the positive and reduces the impact of the negative.
For example, a senior with arthritis may be unhappy about a rainy day that's causing a flare-up of pain. Yet the rain waters the flowers and grass, helps farmers grow food crops and gives the birds and squirrels something to drink.
Acknowledging the good doesn't take away the bad, but it can help make hardships easier to manage by uplifting your heart.
