The soup of advertising we all swim in makes it all easy to long for what we don’t have, but it turns out that as well as being eminently more affordable, being grateful has health benefits, too. I found a wonderful article about how gratitude rewires your body and brain for health and I want to share with you the benefits they found:
1. Gratitude is good for our brains. When we act kindly or feel gratitude, it activates our hypothalamus, which in turn regulates some of our biological functions such as appetites, sleep, temperature, metabolism, and growth. Gratitude is also addictive since it generates production of dopamine in our brains, giving us a sense of well-being.
2. Gratitude can decrease pain levels. It’s hard to believe something so simple can affect pain, but in a study of ill patients, it was found that keeping a gratitude journal reduced symptoms in 16% of the patients and decreased pain in 10% of them. They also were more interested in exercise and engaging in activities that improved their health.
3. Gratitude helps us sleep better. Through the aforementioned activation of the hypothalamus, it not only improves the quality of our sleep but also makes it easier to fall asleep. Having a healthy sleep life has many benefits for the body, most notably it speeds our body’s healing and boosts our immune systems.
4. Gratitude can relieve stress. A study found that 23% of participants who cultivated appreciation showed a decrease in cortisol, a stress hormone, and 80% showed changes in heart rate variability due to reduced stress.
5. Gratitude reduces anxiety and depression. Numerous studies have found that keeping a gratitude journal or sending thank you notes can increase our long-term happiness and decrease the incidence of depression.
6. Gratitude makes us stronger. Between better sleep and a more positive outlook on exercise, gratitude is worth exploring as a healthy life habit.
Be Grateful ~ Here are some ways to do it:
- Appreciate how far your journey has been
- Recognize that even the bad parts you wish you could change have made you who you are
- Use the things you have in your life to their full capacity, or gift them to someone who needs them
- Volunteer in your community for people whose needs are greater than yours
- Tell the people in your life who love and support you how much they mean to you
- Perform random acts of kindness such as leaving positive quotes at bus stops, holding open doors for other people or saying thank you to people even when they’re “just doing their job”
Your Mission (should you choose to accept it) is as follows:
Between now and Christmas, I want you to give away THREE anonymous Thank You mini-cards to people you come across in your life who are doing good in some way. Try to give it to them without them knowing where it came from and resist the urge to stick around to see their reaction. I assure you, there are plenty of people out there doing great stuff and not being properly appreciated. In your journal write about how you felt about doing this experiment. You may discover that giving can also be receiving.
Here's your handout for page 1:
What I want for you in this class:
"See everyone you meet this month as a person on a challenging journey."
No comments:
Post a Comment