Gratitude is a healthy lifestyle practice
"Expressing gratitude is a foundational wellness tool that affect health and healing. It influences the heart and mind in significant ways, promoting a positive outlook, optimistic attitude, and sense of purpose.
Gratitude, the quality of being thankful as well as possessing a readiness to share appreciation for people, places, or things, is a simple practice we can cultivate on a daily basis. Goal setting involves the development of an action plan designed to motivate and guide a person or group toward a desired outcome or achievement.
We’re going to dive deeper into the practices of gratitude and goal setting and how they can enrich your health. Simply put, implementing a gratitude practice can put you on the path to reaching your goals, whatever they may be!
The health benefits of cultivating gratitude
Gratitude is all about taking time each day to think about the positive things in your life. This doesn’t mean you’re ignoring negative things or situations – you’re simply choosing to reframe your perspective and focus on the positive. By doing so, you can better diffuse negative thought patterns and behaviors and activate many positive physical and mental health benefits, including:
Enhanced positive emotions and behaviors, such as happiness, appreciation, patience, empathy, and humility
Fewer toxic emotions, such as envy, resentment, and regret
More satisfaction, presence, and resilience with less of a need to focus on materialistic endeavors
Reduced bodily inflammation
Better sleep
Improved blood pressure, total cholesterol, and blood sugar control
It’s no surprise that gratitude touches all the main areas of our life – what we at IIN call primary food, the things that nourish us off the plate, such as career, spiritual practices, home environment, joy, and many more. Through the practice of gratitude, we’re able to show a deeper appreciation for everything in our lives.
For example, there are the external things we usually point to when asked what we’re grateful for – a roof over our heads or our friends and family. These are important, for sure, but when you practice gratitude enough, you’ll be able to find even more to be grateful for – the home you created for yourself and your family that makes you feel safe and at peace, your ability to think on your feet during stressful situations, or your comforting nature when a friend or colleague is in need.
Our ongoing practice of gratitude is what fuels our resilience, or the ability to get through difficult situations with strength, courage, and determination. Gratitude also allows us to manage stress and strong emotions, promoting a relaxed state of being. Our career performance gets a boost with better management skills, improved decision making, and increased productivity.
Gratitude is like an elixir to soothe our heart and mind in times of need and well beyond!"
Cultivating Gratitude
One of the most effective ways to cultivate gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal. Before falling asleep, spend a few minutes writing down what you are grateful for. Make note of the things that what went right during the day. It can be as simple as finishing a task on time, or finding a great parking spot. By paying attention to things that generated a positive emotion, you begin to train your brain to continuously look for positive things. This small shift in thinking creates momentum and in time, you will radiate happiness and wellness from the inside out.
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