Gratitude Improves Your Health

The Attitude of Gratitude

The attitude of being grateful in each moment of each day is one of the secret keys to living a healthy luminous life. When you are grateful for life, all the blessings you receive, as well as for life’s challenges, you flood your body with powerful healing energy. You are enfolded by grace and your life becomes rich.

With new break throughs in neurology, scientists now show the health benefits of being grateful. For example, when you feel immense love and gratitude in your heart before your meal, your brain releases digestive enzymes in your saliva which helps you more rapidly break down food. This is one simple thing you can do which will assist you on your way to living a healthy happy life.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

Being grateful is a choice. Each moment of the day, you have a choice to either view the events before you in a positive or negative way. Which way you choose to go determines the level of health and over all welbeing you experience. You can either choose to be grateful which brings in positive feelings, an optimistic point of view, increases your serotonin levels, boosts your immune system, and just feels good or you can choose to be sad, upset, or angry which causes your blood pressure to rise, your serotonin levels lower, and your cortisol levels increase.

To simply put it:
Negative angry thoughts equals ill health.
Positive grateful thoughts equals good health.

Which do you choose?

Of course you choose good health. Yet, can you really be healthy and grateful all the time? Absolutely! Its takes practice, determination, and a good sense of humor, but you can do it. (And it is soooo worth the investment.)

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” – William Arthur Ward

In a recent study done at the University of California, researchers found that people who wrote down 5 things they were grateful for that happened to them during the day, were healthier, happier, and slept better than the group which wrote down 5 hassles which they experienced during the day. In another study, researchers at the University of Connecticut found that gratitude can have a protective effect against heart attacks. Studying people who had experienced one heart attack, the researchers found that those patients who saw benefits and gains from their heart attack, such as becoming more appreciative of life, experienced a lower risk of having another heart attack.

So again…. Which do you choose?
Gratitude of course!

So How do I get into and stay in a state of gratitude? Its easy and fun!

Here are a few proven ways which will greatly assist you in getting into a feeling of gratitude:

1. Count your blessings ~ Keeping a Gratitude Journal
At the end of the day before you go to sleep, write down in your gratitude journal at least 5 things that you are grateful for. Write down all the reasons why to say “thank you.” When you do this you will sleep deeply and be enriched with the positive feelings you created. My friends and clients who do this always report amazing results. Do it for 21 days a see for yourself.

2. Breathe in Gratitude
Sitting comfortably with your eyes closed, take in a few deep breathes. Focus on the feeling of being grateful. To assist you with this, think of something that you really appreciate about life. It can be a friend, nature, a pet, something good that happened to you that day, anything at all which makes you feel grateful in your heart. Next, relax and breathe naturally. Now on the inhalation mentally say the words “Thank you.” Then on the exhalation, mentally say “thank you.” Do this for 5 minutes. You’ll feel very relaxed and full of positive feelings. Sitting for 5 minutes everyday breathing “thank you” will uplift you and make your life awesome. (wouldn’t you love to say to yourself “my life is AWESOME!”?)

3. Be Grateful for Your Body~ Give it Reflexology and Massage
When you are grateful for life, you become immensely grateful for the gift of your body. When you are grateful for your body, you’ll take positive actions to do things to make it feel better, stronger, and healthier. Giving yourself weekly massage, reflexology, or chiropractic treatments is a great way to assist your body in becoming and STAYING healthy. Giving yourself a weekly relaxation period is saying to your body “I love you and appreciate you.” When you do this, your body will reward you tremendously with great health.

4. Say “Thank You” often (and expect nothing in return)
One of the sweetest phrases that can pass through your lips is “thank you.” When you say “thank you” often for things that you appreciate, your whole being is filled with joy and positive vibrations. These positive vibrations not only uplift you, they also uplift the person you say it to. Saying “Thank you” for things you really appreciate tells the universe, and especially the people you share it with, that you love what was given and are open to receive more if it. When you say “thank you” sincerely from your heart, people will feel your joy and want to give you more.

Gratitude is pure alchemy.
It lovingly transforms pains and sufferings into sweetness and beauty. It is like dropping an alkaline solution into acid water. The water returns to its natural state. Gratitude returns you to your natural state. So simple.

May you always be grateful and live an awesome, healthy, happy life.