The practice of gratitude has countless benefits, and it can start as early as now All Things Health. Start by counting your blessings. Count your blessings everyday, and make a gratitude jar to keep track of your thankfulness. Try to identify what you’re grateful for, and then express those feelings every day. You’ll find that gratitude becomes second nature in no time. And you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can increase your feelings of happiness.
Counting one’s blessings
The idea of counting one’s blessings is not a new one, but the benefits of doing so go beyond the obvious. Not only does it increase happiness, but it can also reduce stress and anxiety. The act of expressing gratitude triggers certain areas of the brain to release feel-good chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, thereby reducing negative emotions and stress. These chemicals are helpful for overall health, and counting one’s blessings may improve these effects.
Practicing gratitude
Start by writing down three things you’re grateful for each day. As you journal, think about how many of these items you appreciate in your life, like your daily cup of coffee or the fact that you have a roof over your head. Think about the things you are thankful for every day, like your family, friends, and pets. List everything that makes you grateful.
Creating a gratitude jar
Creating a gratitude jar for health can be a wonderful habit. You can write down all the things you’re grateful for on small slips of paper. Or you can use a small notebook and tear out the pages as you go. If you use small notebooks, you can fit many slips into one jar. Once you’ve written all the things you’re grateful for, you can hang them in the jar for easy access.
Expressing gratitude
To start, practice expressing gratitude every day. Every morning, think of someone for whom you are grateful. It could be your friend, teacher, barista, or the kindness of strangers. Make it a habit to start your day by saying “thank you” to them, smile, or write a short note. Eventually, you will be writing a long, heartfelt letter to each person you feel grateful for.
Practicing gratitude with a gratitude partner
Research shows that practice of health gratitude increases life satisfaction and reduces depression symptoms in individuals. This is largely due to the fact that people with increased gratitude are more likely to report overall happiness and greater health. There are many other benefits of gratitude, too. You might be surprised to know that you can make the practice a habit. Here are some tips to get started. Read on to learn how you can benefit from practicing health gratitude with a gratitude partner.