4 Ways Gratitude Can Make Your Life Better
Are you looking to boost your physical and emotional health? Do you desire a higher quality sleep? Would you like more resilience to help withstand the storms of life?
It may sound too good to be true but I have good news for you. There’s something you can do every day that has been proven to make a noticeable difference in the quality of your life.
What’s the habit? Gratitude.
Gratitude stands for “great attitude.” – Zig Ziglar
Whenever I’m feeling sorry for myself, weighed down by challenges, or facing adversity of some kind, I turn to gratitude. I rehearse in my mind or write on a page what I’m thankful for.
You don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to count your blessings! Any day can be thanksgiving and it makes your life better!
4 ways gratitude can make your life better
1. Your mountains get smaller
Gratitude changes your perception of yourself and improves your self-esteem and inner “size.” A study was done with athletes who were grateful and found heightened self-esteem and improved performance.*
When I practice gratitude, my molehills don’t turn into mountains, and those mountains don’t turn into walls, and those walls don’t turn into separation. — Author unknown
2. You make new friends
When you show appreciation to people who have made a positive contribution to your life (a neighbor, a co-worker, a new acquaintance), they are more likely to seek you out for an ongoing friendship.*
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. – Melody Beattie
3. Your emotional health will improve
When you are grateful, it’s impossible to complain at the same time — they can’t co-exist at the same time. Gratitude also reduces toxic emotions like envy, bitterness, and frustration. Dr. Robert A. Emmons in his research confirms that gratitude increases happiness and reduces depression.
When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in. –Kristin Armstrong
4. You will sleep more soundly
When you go to bed stressed, you take that with you to the pillow. A 2011 study* found that those who write in a gratitude journal before they go to sleep see their sleep improved noticeably.
At night, I can’t sleep. In the morning, I can’t wake up.
Now it’s your turn – this coming week…
- Keep a gratitude journal in paper format or electronically
- One way to structure your gratitude is write a word from A-Z or A-M (if you’re short of time)
*For the article where I found the research, click here.
Hi! I'm Cam Taylor
I help you live an inspired, focused and tenacious life.
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About Cam Taylor
Coach, author, speaker, father, friend, leader, life long learner.