Often when we are faced with difficult times or finding endless reasons to complain, we are then faced with the reminder to have an attitude of gratitude, to count our blessings, or be more mindful in expressing thanks.
We may feel the need to roll our eyes and look at this call to gratitude as childish or unhelpful when in reality being grateful is not only the answer to help us endure well or find reasons to rejoice come what may, but being grateful has many benefits towards our physical and mental health.
In this article, I’ll be going over just a few of those benefits to bring to your awareness how practicing gratitude on a regular basis can help you to live a fuller life.
Physical Benefits
1. Sleep Better
Studies have shown that expressing gratitude improves your quality of sleep. It helps to soothe the nervous system so as to sleep better and longer.
A couple of studies showed that more specifically keeping a gratitude journal helped in having a better quality of sleep, lowered blood pressure, and led to enhanced well-being.
This more than likely comes as a result of feeling more at peace, positive, and not focusing on the weight of the day or life as a whole before going to bed.
2. Higher Energy Levels
This is more from personal experience, but I notice that the more grateful I am the more apt I am to be energized and driven, increasing my energy levels.
As I mentioned in the previous benefit on sleep, focusing more on the good in my life, no matter how small or insignificant those things might seem to others, compared to focusing on what’s causing me upheaval and anxiety makes me feel like I can accomplish more and on what is in my control.
Being at peace and focusing on having an attitude of gratitude makes for a physical and mental kick that drives me to do my best and succeed one step at a time.
3. Increased Ability to Fight Off Illness or Infection
Studies have proven that the more grateful a person is the better their overall health is since they are focused on taking care of themselves and being mindful of their body’s needs.
Whether that be in the form of having regular doctor’s appointments, staying hydrated, exercising, spending time in nature, and eating well all contribute to the body’s ability to battle against illness or infection. Grateful people are healthy people!
Mental Benefits
1. Improves Self-Esteem
Countless studies have shown that being grateful helps to create not only a more positive outlook on life but towards yourself.
When you’re grateful you’re less likely to let the comparison monster creep in and more likely to celebrate other’s achievements, recognize your own worth and value, and find greater satisfaction in what life has to offer and has already given you.
Being more grateful makes for a more emotionally balanced, aware, and appreciative person towards themselves, which in turn causes an outreach to others and life as a whole.
2. Better Able to Problem-Solve
Being grateful causes a shift in mindset leading to a greater ability to problem-solve.
This doesn’t mean you turn a blind eye to difficulties or become less aware of hardships that you may be faced with, but in spite of your circumstances, you are able to have a sure focus on what is in your control and what you are capable of, making you more apt to succeed with a healthy dose of confidence and clarity of mind.
“Gratitude is something that leads to much more sustainable forms of happiness because it’s not based in that immediate gratification; it’s a frame of mind,” says Emma Seppälä, a happiness researcher at Stanford and Yale Universities and author of The Happiness Track.
Grateful people are more able to act at optimal performance, foster resilience, and are keen on creating a more healthy and full-filling life.
3. More Compassionate and Empathetic
The more grateful you are, the less likely you are to retaliate and be vengeful even when faced with negativity. Grateful people, studies have shown, are more compassionate, sensitive, and empathetic towards others.
Focusing on what is good in your life rather than bad in your life brightens your outlook on life, yourself, and others, which in turn makes your desire for others to see and feel the same way increase.
You don’t want to be at war with others but help others to view and live their lives in a more satisfying and healthy manner that will benefit them in the long-run. Once you have made such a positive change, you can’t help but want the same for others, lifting where you stand.
4. Improve Social Bonds & Relationships
As your practice gratitude, your relationships and social bonds, in general, will only improve for the better.
The more grateful you are, the more love and connection you feel and gain overall. This goes for not just how you practice or live in a grateful manner but in the gratitude, you express as well.
Being and expressing gratitude improves our relationships, causes others to trust and appreciate you more, and are more able to work through problems and have a more positive view towards those we love, care for, and respect.
Gratitude: A Key Factor to a Better Life
Gratitude truly has countless benefits towards our quality of life. Being grateful is far too often overlooked and sometimes thought of at Thanksgiving or when we receive huge, noticeable joys in our lives,
But if we would take the time and energy to be more mindful of what we have to be grateful for and allow it to instill in us a change towards how we view ourselves, others, and the world, we would find ourselves looking up, focusing on the positive, and rising up from the negative, the insignificant, and the dark sludge pits of the world that would see us fall and stay down.
Our lives are no doubt filled with trying seasons, hardships, and heartache caused by ourselves, others, or circumstances, but that does not mean we should not aim to cultivate gratitude in our lives to serve and even heal us.
We all have the ability and opportunity to cultivate gratitude, allowing us the simplest way to improve our lives.
It is through even the smallest amount of light that we are provided hope, guidance, and security to see us forward well.
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About the Author
Hi there! I’m Stephanie Tracy, a freelance writer, and blogger for hire. I specialize in physical and mental health, parenting, and self-development. I create engaging, inspiring, and useful content to help businesses progress in making their viewers into customers. When I’m not writing, you can find me happily playing with my toddler, walking in the park with my family, or indulging in a movie marathon with my husband.
Gratitude, in a sense, is opening yourself up to receive God. It’s a mechanism in trusting the forces of nature that we are a part of. Spirituality is such a vital part of the human condition and I think gratitude helps ground us by taking away selfishness and opening us up to compassion through a greater network of servicing others.
Thank you for your insightful comment Colby!
A friend of mine once said that gratitude is an outlet that doesn’t just magically fix our problems but it does humble and carry us. It’s also something we need to practice. As we practice gratitude it gives us purpose and stability. I totally agree with you that the more we practice and share in our gratitude the more compassionate, empathetic, and aware we become. Thank you again for sharing and I hope you continue to find value in my future content.