Be thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never ever have enough.”
— Oprah Winfrey
We tend to focus on the challenges in our life because they act on us. We have to overcome those obstacles to get back to normal. We forget to nurture the better things in life because they don’t require our attention. Practicing gratitude is how we remind ourselves of all the good things in our life.
Studies find a strong correlation between gratitude, resilience, and feelings of happiness. People who feel more grateful tend to be happier and emotionally stronger than others. The effects of gratitude are not magical, or immediate, however. Like most things worth having, we must apply the Law of the Harvest over time to reap the benefits.
The benefits are worth the effort.
Gratitude can reduce anxiety and depression.
Anxiety is a built-in warning system. “Danger, Will Robinson!” Our body reacts immediately by releasing the fight or flight hormones. No time for a logical analysis to make a rational decision about how best to respond.
According to Alex Korb, our brain learns to repeat patterns. Worry too much about an adverse outcome and we will subconsciously re-wire our brain to only process negative information. We cannot focus on positive and negative information at the same time. Practicing gratitude can retrain the brain to replace pessimistic, negative thoughts with optimistic, positive ones. You can fight negative ruminations and learn to accept your present situation.
Depressed patients who practice gratitude exercises recover sooner and feel more motivated to bounce back from their distress. Practicing gratitude shifts our attention from problems to solutions, boosting the neurotransmitters that make us feel good (serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin) along the way.
Grateful people are…
💚 Happier (less stressed, anxious, and depressed)
💚 Healthier (fewer cardiac diseases, less inflammation and neurodegeneration)
💚 More satisfied with their lives
Grateful people…
💚 Enjoy more positive relationships and appreciate people who are there for them
💚 Sleep better, eat better, live better
💚 Grow from both 👍 and 👎 experiences
I've only touched on the "Why" in this article. We are proud to have a few mental health professionals in our community here at Workwise. If you're need a little help, let them show you "How." One of the benefits of our new Member Portal is the ability for you connect with them, directly and privately.
Most of my views in this article came from here.