If everything seems to be going pretty well in your life, it’s safe to assume you’ve got good health, good friends, and a knack for finding the sweeter, happier elements of human existence.
But what if your life isn’t going as well as you like? When we lose support systems or loved ones, lose jobs, or find ourselves ill, it’s easy to focus on those negatives; in this state, we often have a hard time finding the steps to achieve a happier state of mind. Could simply being cognizant and grateful for what you have foster wellness within yourself, both mentally and physically?
Studies show the answer is a resounding YES. And that’s not based on wishful or magical thinking– A growing body of research shows that cultivating gratitude can drastically improve physical and mental health.
What are the Benefits of Gratitude?
One leading scientific expert has concluded that practicing gratitude has many positive effects on a person’s physical, psychological, and social wellbeing1; these include improved sleep, strengthened immune system, lower blood pressure, increased optimism and positive emotions, improved social life, and less feelings of isolation, among others1. Feelings of gratitude tend to block out the toxic, negative emotions that extinguish our happiness–such as envy, regret, and resentment. A second review of studies researching gratitude published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, concluded that gratitude is “far more than a platitude.”
While more research is needed to pinpoint exactly how feeling gratitude influences body and mind, both biological and social influences appear to be at work. For example, recognizing you have specific things in your life to be thankful for can lower the body’s stress responses and potentially help prevent hypertension, headaches and other health problems often caused or exacerbated by stress. Furthermore, being grateful for the positive aspects of life promotes cooperation and beneficial relationships, resulting in improved mental health.
Expressing your gratitude may improve the health of other people, too
Kindness and the recognition of things to be grateful for extends beyond promoting your own wellbeing. If you appreciate someone who helps you or a co-worker who does a good job, it could improve the mental and physical health of those you thank.
A new study by Portland State University (PSU) and Clemson State University researchers found a positive relationship between expressed workplace gratitude and both physical and mental health. Their research involved a group of Oregon nurses, whose profession is unfortunately often considered a “thankless job” and is associated with a high rate of burn-out.
The study found that when nurses were thanked regularly for their work, their job satisfaction improved considerably, and they were more likely to have better health — improved sleep, healthier eating habits, and fewer headaches.
And so, by preventing headaches and other stress-related symptoms, there were fewer sick days and less need for replacement nurses. The result finds that expressing gratitude can create a positive feedback loop that impacts you, the people around you and, in the long run, helps shape a healthier and happier community. This then impacts the financial bottom-line of any business.
So now that you know all of the benefits, how can you start to incorporate gratitude practices into your daily life?
Five ways to incorporate gratitude into daily life
1. Gratitude Journal
Each day, either first thing in the morning or just before lying down for the night, write down five things you’re grateful for. It is helpful to be specific; for example: “I am grateful for the sunshine because it makes me feel warm and at peace” and not, “I am grateful for the sun.”
One study found that participants who kept an online gratitude journal for two weeks reported better physical health, including fewer headaches, less stomach pain, clearer skin, and reduced congestion. These results are consistent with an earlier study of college students who wrote about things they were grateful for just once a week for ten weeks reported fewer physical symptoms (such as headaches, shortness of breath, sore muscles, and nausea) than students who wrote about daily events or hassles.
2. Expressions of Thanks to Others
It can be a card or an email, or a pat on the back and a smile; expressing gratitude to others completes the feeling of connection. Many people in your life have helped you in one way or another, but how often have you thanked them? It’s often easy to express gratitude following acts of service from friends and loved ones, but try thinking of the people you may overlook or take for granted: police force, garbage collectors, store clerks, chefs, etc. A simple “thank you”, a hand-written note, or even giving a donation is a great way to share your gratitude for those who contribute to your life!
3. Make a Habit of Paying Compliments
Make sure that you say something nice to someone every day. Not only will this practice make you feel better, but it’s amazing how a few simple words—like “those are great shoes!” or “I really like your ___” can make others feel noticed and acknowledged.
4. Challenge Yourself to a No Complaining Week
While gratitude elevates a person or environment, complaining settles a blanket of negativity around us. If we eliminate some of the time we spend complaining, then we free up time to focus on more positive things. Unfortunately, complaining is a default status for far too many of us; sometimes we do it without even realizing it, and it simply creates a vicious cycle. Paying attention to what we feel grateful for helps get us in a positive mind set, even after hardships. It connects us to the world around us and more importantly, to ourselves. Research demonstrates that focusing on what we’re grateful for is a universally rewarding way to feel happier and more fulfilled. This doesn’t mean that we ignore our emotions that need to be felt. By considering what we’re grateful for, it invites us to step back and take a larger perspective on things, as opposed to only paying attention to the negatives.
The next time you are faced with adversity, I want you to try and ask yourself the following questions:
- “What’s good about this?”
- “What can I learn from this?”
- “How can I benefit from this?”
- “Is there something about this situation that I can be grateful for?”
5. Shift your mindset
Take time to get outside the office or your home and consider what you’ve got that you’re grateful for. There are so many things we overlook in our daily grind that we can stop and appreciate! For example, you wake up in the morning and enjoy a nice breakfast of fresh fruit and oatmeal. You can start by expressing gratitude for the meal for being enjoyable and nourishing to your body.
However, if one was to go further, you could consider all the elements that contributed to your breakfast of fresh fruit and oatmeal; you’d find the crops, the soil, the farmers, the packagers, the distributors… the elements of gratitude can be far-reaching, and we so often overlook the complexity of our meals, our health, and the efforts that others make to make our lives better. Working to be conscious and appreciative is one way to shift to a gratitude mindset.
Learn to be Conscious of What You’ve Got
In this modern age, half of marketing seems to be trying to convince us we need this or that, we’re not good enough, and that we won’t find happiness without what they’re trying to sell. It’s so important and necessary that we continually re-center ourselves and remind ourselves that we’ve got so many gifts – our health, our loved ones, or at the very least, time to find new, nurturing relationships. In the workplace we can uplift ourselves and our colleagues with gratitude. We can physically relieve stress from our bodies by refocusing ourselves on what we do have, instead of what we don’t. Make gratefulness a practice in your personal and professional lives, and see where it takes you.