Gratitude is Good for Your Body, Not Just Your Mind.

The surprising health benefits of a daily gratitude practice

Thanksgiving is the holiday of gratitude. Many families, mine included, go around the dinner table, each person saying what they are grateful for. This year, I am grateful for new beginnings. I recently got engaged and bought a house- two huge milestones that begin a new chapter of my life!

I always love Thanksgiving, and the holidays in general, because they’re the perfect time to reflect on everything that’s happened over the last year. Then, you end your year with family and friends and set new intentions for the year ahead.

While many people only count their blessings on special days like Thanksgiving and Christmas, gratitude is actually a powerful emotion that should be practiced every day. There’s a reason everyone feels happy and giving this time of year- they’re looking at all of the abundance rather than the lack.

The Science of Gratitude

Practicing gratitude has been shown to have a plethora of health benefits, both for our body and mind.

Mental Benefits

While many studies have been conducted on well-functioning adults, a study on gratitude was done on college students seeking mental health counseling, a group that was obviously struggling. This study found that writing gratitude letters not only increased happiness 4 weeks after the exercise but also 3 months later. This goes to show how a few simple sentences can have a lasting effect on depression.

Writing about gratitude unshackles us from the toxic language we feed ourselves. It forces us to speak positive words into existence, changing the negative loop that continues inside our heads when we are feeling depressed.

The study showed that those writing letters of thankfulness also use first-person plural words, helping to not feel so alone. Often times gratitude helps us think of all the amazing people we are surrounded by, forcing us to recognize all of the friends and family who care about us.

Any time you feel yourself growing lethargic or sad, write down three things you are grateful for. I find this super helpful when going doing negative social media rabbit holes. Catch yourself before you allow it to control you!

Physical Benefits

Surprisingly enough, gratitude doesn’t only impact you emotionally. Studies have shown it to also decrease blood pressure, reduce aches and pains, clear your skin, and improve sleep.

According to UC David Health,

“Grateful people have 16 percent lower diastolic blood pressure and 10 percent lower systolic blood pressure compared to those less grateful”.

“A daily gratitude practice can decelerate the effects of neurodegeneration (as measured by a 9 percent increase in verbal fluency) that occurs with increasing age”.

“Grateful people (including people grateful to God) have between 9-13 percent lower levels of Hemoglobin A1c, a key marker of glucose control that plays a significant role in the diagnosis of diabetes”.

“Gratitude is related to a 10 percent improvement in sleep quality in patients with chronic pain, 76 percent of whom had insomnia, and 19 percent lower depression levels”.

How amazing is it that we can physically heal ourselves by learning to appreciate what we already have? All of these have nothing to do with diet or exercise. Just our mindset.

Crafting a Daily Gratitude Practice

Luckily, gratitude practices only take a few minutes and can be built into the routine you already have. I recommend pairing them with a habit you already do every day, something coined “habit stacking” by James Clear. By pairing a new habit with something you already do, you are more likely to remember to do it rather than forget about it.

Every day, I want you to list 3-5 things you are grateful for. You can write it in a journal, on your phone, or speak it out loud to yourself or someone else. The important thing is that you do this every day.

I write down the things I am grateful for after my meditation each morning. I know I will meditate every morning, so it is an easy habit for me to tack on.

What do you do every day?

When you are finished with that activity, express your gratitude!

Take action: Say one thing you are grateful for out loud right now!

I’ll go first- I’m grateful for the organic, pasture-raised turkey and homemade pie I’m about to eat with Sebastian and our two friends tonight.

Madison