Gratitude is not only good for your mental health, it can also improve your physical health. It is a simple change that makes a huge impact! Gratitude exercises reprogram how your brain looks at the world. Randy Sansone, MD, and Lori Sansone, MD, analyzed the results of multiple gratitude studies for the journal Psychiatry, and found that participants who did gratitude exercises and expressed thanks for the small things in life enhanced their well-being and life satisfaction. In a study out of UC Davis, organ transplant patients who kept a gratitude journal scored better on measures of mental health, general health and vitality.
Feel Less Pain: Robert Emmons, pioneer in the study of gratitude from UC Davis, states that people even report fewer symptoms of illness and are less bothered by aches and pains, because of the change in mental outlook that gratitude provides.
Sleep Better: Gratitude will help us feel better day and night. Several studies suggest that gratitude can increase the “feel good hormones”, serotonin and dopamine, resulting in decreased stress. By having a nightly ritual of recording what we are grateful for, we are likely to reduce worries and quiet our mind, and therefore, sleep better.
Increase Your Willpower: An in-depth study publishes in Psychological Science, found when participants were asked to write about what made them grateful, they demonstrated a better ability to delay gratification. The scientists concluded that gratitude encourages long-term thinking, which increases willpower. Developing the skill of gratitude appears to boost people’s likelihood to engage in healthy habits!
Gratitude journaling is easy and does not take much time; simply write a few statements. Paula Felps, science editor for Live Happy magazine, recommends paring down your gratitude statements to concise, short, but descriptive statements: “I am grateful my two silly, old dogs don’t know they’re old, and act like puppies.” For some structure, there are tools that can help. For example, I use the Five Minute Journal app or paperback. The format includes space for morning and evening entries, plus a daily photo. If you prefer a physical tool, the Panda Planner will do the trick. Both tools come with a lot of online resources that will help expand your understanding of positive psychology and the benefits of gratitude. Other exercises to increase gratitude's benefits include "counting gratitude" instead of sheep, writing a letter of gratitude, or even paying someone a "gratitude visit".
One interesting piece of research I came across focused on trauma. Difficult times often increase gratitude. Philip Watkins, PhD, explains that these "cognitive and emotional disruptions...increase the appreciation of the daily and ordinary - yet important - things in life". Do you have a friend that is full of gratitude in spite of never ending trauma, well, their life experiences might actually be feeding their attitude of gratitude!
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
Wendy Dellis is a certified wellness coach. She joins years of training and work in the area of behavior change, experience as a fitness instructor and run club coordinator with a passion for adventure and people. She lives in Minnesota with her husband, Jay, and two sons.
The information contained on this page is for general information purposes only. Nothing here should be construed as medical or healthcare advice, but only topics for discussion. No physician-patient relationship exists; please consult your physician before making changes in diet or lifestyle.