Did you know that showing gratitude can be one of the easiest ways to improve your overall health? These five health benefits of gratitude can have a huge impact on your well-being, and one of the best parts is that you can get started right away!
You may have heard about the trend of keeping a gratitude journal and wondered if keeping one would give you any benefit. As you’ll see, there are many health benefits of gratitude, and using a journal can be one great way to start a journey to being more thankful.
Maybe you’re like me and feel like you’re already a grateful person, but have never bothered to write down the things you’re thankful for.
You’ll see how regularly writing down the things you are grateful for each day and expressing gratitude to others can actually improve your health.
After learning these amazing benefits, you’ll be ready to jump in feet first on your gratitude journey.
This post is all about the five life changing health benefits of gratitude and how you can get started today.
Table of Contents
1. Experience Less Fatigue
One big health issue that Americans cite as a problem in their everyday lives is feeling fatigued. This can be a big problem for accomplishing tasks throughout the day. Feeling more alert is certainly a goal to accomplish.
According to this study from 2015, researchers found that patients with asymptomatic heart failure who practice spirituality and gratitude reported less fatigue.
This is great news, as being less fatigued can have a direct impact on our success at work and with our families.
2. Better Mental Health
With the rise in reports of mental health concerns since the beginning of the pandemic, seeking a way to improve our mental health has become almost necessary for everyone.
One of the great health benefits of gratitude is an overall more positive outlook and having a lower instance of depressed mood.
Studies have shown that practicing gratitude leads to a more positive mindset, which has shown to lessen depressive moods in subjects.
{RELATED POST: 8 Simple Living Ideas for Escaping an Overwhelming World}
3. Increased Immune System
As we all look for ways to avoid getting sick, boosting our immune systems can offer us many benefits. Adding gratitude to an eating healthy regimen, and getting plenty of sleep, you could potentially increase your immune system response.
In this article from the Mayo Clinic, the researcher addresses that gratitude can boost your immunity.
I’ve tried adding one to two expressions of gratitude daily to test these effects myself.
4. Improved Sleep
If you’re like me, you might have all the thoughts of everything you forgot to do or how things could go wrong come to your mind right as you lay down to go to sleep. Then dozing off becomes almost impossible.
The age old suggestion was to count sheep, but I suggest that instead of counting sheep, you might try counting blessings.
Try naming off things that you are thankful for, either out loud or in your head. This little trick can help to get your mind off of the negative thoughts (that you can’t do anything about at that moment anyway) and busy with more positive thoughts.
In this 2009 gratitude and sleep study, it was found that gratitude improved both the quality of sleep as well as the amount of sleep of the subjects.
5. Cope with Stress
As we live in a more and more overwhelming world, with work and home life always demanding more, finding ways to lower stress levels is becoming so important.
The great news is that we can quickly banish stress with a simple expression of gratitude.
This study from 2007, found that subjects were able to better cope with stressful situations when they regularly practiced gratitude.
When life is becoming overwhelming, try one of the suggestions below to help lower your stress levels and improve your overall health.
How to Get Started with Expressing Gratitude Today
There are many ways to practice gratitude and begin to experience all of the positive benefits outlined above in your own life.
You can either express your gratitude to others and spread joy, or you can practice gratitude in a more private way. Choose one or two suggestions below to get started today. No prescription needed!
Ways to Express Gratitude and Brighten Someone Else’s Day
- Send a thank you note – This could be a paper thank you note or simply an email of thanks.
- Tell someone one thing that you appreciate about them
- Leave a larger than normal tip for a server
Ways to Privately Practice Being Grateful
- Use a pre-made gratitude journal
- Write down three things you’re grateful for each day on a calendar or planner page
- Say a prayer and thank the Lord for three things you’re grateful for
- Use glass markers to write three to five things on your mirror as you get ready in the morning
I hope this helps you see the health benefits of gratitude and ways you can get started right away.
Have you had a personal experience with the health benefits of gratitude, and you’d like to contribute your experiences with us? I’d love it if you’d contribute to this list in a comment below.
