Is Thanksgiving healthy? There are proven health benefits found in giving thanks, including enhanced sleep, reduced stress, and strengthened immune systems. Philosophy and religion have long extolled the benefits of giving thanks. Now science has proof that giving thanks is good for you.
Robert Emmons, Ph.D., Lab Director at UCDavis, is the world’s leading scientific authority on gratitude. His research indicates that an attitude of gratitude positively affects heart health, by lowering blood pressure and stabilizing heart rhythms. In a controlled study of patients with neuromuscular disease, the patients who actively practiced gratitude reported fewer symptoms and less pain. Numerous studies prove that gratitude journaling promotes enhanced sleep, allowing participants to fall asleep faster and experience a better quality of sleep.
Would you like to experience fewer colds? Gratitude can help with that as well. Research from the University of Utah found that first year law students who practiced gratitude daily had stronger immune systems than students who did not practice gratitude, even though both groups were subjected to the same stressors. The optimism associated with a grateful mindset is believed to increase the blood cells that protect us from viruses.
Documented wellness benefits include better sleep quality, reduced stress, less pain, and stronger immune systems. Want a quick way to get started with a gratitude practice? Try taking a daily gratitude break, ten minutes dedicated to writing down three things you are grateful for. It can be simple items, such as the warm feeling of sunshine on your face, or it can be more profound, such as unexpected kindness from a stranger. DYG Coaching offers a Thirty Days of Gratitude Journaling ecourse free of charge by registering here.
If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily. - Gerald Good