Why Being Thankful is Good For You

Whether you're thankful for your good health, a comfortable place to call home, or loving family and friends, expressing gratitude has many benefits. When you take the time to count your blessings and be appreciative of all the good in your life, you may find yourself feeling happier and more fulfilled.

Gratitude is a highly pleasant emotion, and there are several reasons why individuals should be thankful. The benefits of gratitude appear to be similar to those of other positive emotions, such as hope and love -- with benefits to physical and mental health, as well as increased productivity at work. Because we are intentionally focusing on and appreciating what we have in the moment, gratitude makes us happier and healthier.

Even if it was just a few things you were thankful for, you'll notice that you are now more aware of what you're thankful for in your life.

Being aware of what you need to do is one thing but picking the right gratitude exercise is another. The following are some simple yet effective ways to start counting your blessings:

•  Start each day by saying something positive about the day you're starting
• .  Keep a journal of good things that happen during the day
• .  When you are struggling to find something positive in a situation, go back to your journal and use some of the things you've already written about.
•  Make a gratitude list.

That's what happened to me as I was reflecting on my gratitude journal. By noticing the gifts in my life, I started feeling more fulfilled and being a more thankful person. It made me think about what I have to be grateful for and it helped me appreciate what I do have instead of focusing on what I don't .I've read some of the biggest happiness experts and I found that perfect happiness is subjective. That's why I'm letting you in on my philosophy of happiness and thanksgiving.

Additionally, practicing thankfulness can also lead to improved relationships, better sleep, increased patience, and reduced stress levels. Being grateful can even help boost immunity during cold and flu season.

Whether you're thankful for your good health, a comfortable place to call home, or loving family and friends, expressing gratitude has many benefits.

We all know that feeling of happiness and warmth that comes from knowing we are loved and appreciated. But did you know that expressing thankfulness also has some amazing benefits for our health and wellbeing? According to recent studies, people who express gratitude are more likely to be happier, have better physical health, sleep better, and have lower levels of stress. So why is thankfulness so important? Well, thankfulness helps us appreciate what we have instead of always focusing on what we don't have.

That's why we have to put it into action for the greater good. We have to take our thankfulness and turn it into good works. What's the best way to do that? Jesus christ said he's going to show us a better way than sacrifices because there is a better way, daily gratitude and kindness not just to a loved one make every day a true thanksgiving class="sc-dznXNo dcaiBd highlight--variant"> day and it will not just be you that gets that positive feeling.

It's all about living in the moment. Feeling thankful increases life satisfaction. Are you finding yourself feeling thankful right now? Even if you're not feeling thankful for your job, I'm sure you can think of many things that you are thankful for in your life.

This appreciation helps us love what we do have. And loving what we have makes us appreciate what we have even more. So you see, thankfulness is a blessing all by itself. It helps us see the importance of the experiences we have now because they can affect our future in a positive way.

We can see that these three things are interrelated forming a sort of gratitude tree with many branches. The more we can be thankful, the more we will appreciate what we have. The more we appreciate what we have, the more we will see the importance of experiences and truly enjoy them.

When you take the time to count your blessings and be appreciative of all the good in your life, gratefulness becomes a powerful positive emotion for you to work with

When you take the time to count your blessings and be appreciative of all the good in your life, you may find yourself feeling happier and more fulfilled. Being thankful and developping a deep gratitude habit has been linked with better mental health, improved sleep quality, reduced stress levels, and increased overall satisfaction with life. Additionally, people who express gratitude are more likely to help others and experience less depression. Gratitude is important not only for our own happiness but also for strengthening relationships.

In one of the most interesting experiments I've seen, two researchers, Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, studied the effects of expressing gratitude in marriage therapy. The spouses were split into two groups and told to write and deliver a short message to their partner. The messages were identical except for the number of times the word "thank you" was used......(cont)

Research shows that gratitude works and is one of the strongest predictors of marital satisfaction. It's also been linked with improved communication, affection, and empathy. And in fact, gratitude practices like journaling can actually change your brain. That's right, even if you're a skeptic, the act of writing down what you're grateful for can physically alter your neural circuitry. I encourage you to write down the things you're grateful for in real life and online.

If we stop to take a moment and count our blessings, it is more likely that we will find ourselves feeling more relaxed and happier. Feeling anxiety is a normal part of everyday life, but how we respond to anxiety is what matters most. With gratitude, we can find ourselves feeling calmer and happier as a result, almost experiencing a spiritual blessing.

Additionally, practicing thankfulness can also lead to improved relationships, better sleep, increased patience, and reduced stress levels.

Giving thanks can help improve our mood and emotional outlook. When we're feeling down, taking the time to think of things we're grateful for can help shift our focus from negative to positive. Additionally, practicing thankfulness can also lead to improved relationships, better sleep, increased patience, and reduced stress levels. All of these benefits make taking the time to be thankful worth it!

Being grateful can even help boost immunity during cold and flu season.

During cold and flu season, it's important to boost your immunity any way you can. One way to do that is by being thankful for what you have. Research has shown that people who are grateful have a stronger immune system. So take some time each day to think of things you're thankful for, and watch your health improve along with your outlook on life.

You could even be thankful for playfulness and fun. When I was a kid, we used to go outside and play with the neighbourhood kids until dark. Back then, everyone was outside playing. As we get older and busier, we forget about the importance of play. But play is a key component to happiness. It has been said that if you continue to play, you never grow old. And the same is true if you don't play. We need to find ways to have more fun.

There are positive things you can do too to improve your daily life outlook even for day, like walking for instance.

• Walking

The reason it's so relaxing is that it forces you to concentrate on your body movements. This allows you to let go of distracting thoughts. - Keep it light:

When you find yourself getting frustrated, angry, or depressed, lighten up. Watch a funny video or take a relaxed walk with your dog.

Research has shown that people who live in positive environments tend to be happier and less stressed. That means you should hang out with people who are positive, and spend less time with negative people, as much as possible.

•  Sleep

Getting a good night's sleep does have a positive effect on our general wellbeing and plays a big part in overall health. It can relieve stress, boost your immune system, and it's needed to repair your body and brains cells. The recommended amount of sleep for adults is seven to nine hours per night. Make sure you're getting enough of it on a regular basis.

•  Avoid negative thoughts This isn't always as easy as it may sound

The simplest way to do this is by focusing on positive thoughts for a period of time throughout the day. This works because when you are focusing on positive thoughts you are not  focusing on negative thoughts - you may feel that both are happening at the same time but your brain was not wired that way. It is literally one thought in and one thought out. You do not have to do this multiple times a day because you can benefit from the "multiplier effect" of a positive thought (the effect of a thought that can make you feel happier last longer than a negative thought).

I hope you have enjoyed today's post and it has given you some food for thought and will impact you in a positive way.

We do have some gratitude quotes here that you may find inspiring and help you spread love and kindness to a loved one in your family. 

Till next time.