Thanksgiving season relentlessly reminds us to express our gratitude for what we have. Whether that be something as trivial as your favorite pair of jeans or something as broad as having a bed to sleep in, we all have something or someone we can think of to be grateful for.
When you’re sitting at the table, mouth full of stuffing (which is presumably washed down with a generous swig of wine) what do you say when it’s your turn to say what you’re thankful for this year? Do you panic and just repeat what everyone else says?
Yes, it’s important to have a “thankful list” prepared to recite at the table on Thanksgiving, but what about all of the other days of the year?
If you were to get into the habit of expressing gratitude every day, right when you wake up in the morning, before you go to sleep, or just throughout the day, your mental and physical health will improve in so many ways. Here’s five (of many) services that expressing gratitude provides:
- Improves sleep quality
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According to a 2009 study from The Journal of Psychosomatic Research, actively expressing gratitude before bed improves your quality of sleep:
“When falling asleep, grateful people are less likely to think negative and worrying thoughts, and more likely to think positive thoughts…protecting sleep quality.”
Practice writing five to ten things that you’re grateful for in a journal right before you go to sleep, and you’ll feel more well rested over time.
- increases confidence
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Expressing gratitude improves self esteem! Several scientific studies have shown that expressing gratitude decreases negative feelings and thoughts about your life, so you’ll feel less inclined to complain and compare your life to others.
- improves and creates relationships
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Whether it is a friendship or a romantic relationship, reminding your loved ones that you love them and are thankful for their presence in your life will improve the quality of your relationship.
And, according to Psychology Today, even doing something as small as saying “Thank you” to a stranger or sending a thank you note to a coworker, professor, or colleague will create a more positive energy around you for others, thus leading to new opportunities and deeper relationships.
- reduces stress
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Expressing gratitude not only improves our general mental health, but it also reduces our stress, anxiety, and depression. Positivepsychology.com states that “higher gratitude leads to lower levels of stress and depression”.
- boosts your immune system
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Since gratitude reduces stress, and stress “lowers the immune response to potential threats”, our immune system improves when we express more gratitude for ourselves and lives.
So, when you start to practice gratitude, expect to feel healthier both mentally and physically, and feel more fulfilled in life overall. So, after reading this you probably want to get started right away, but may be wondering…
How do I express gratitude?
Well, you can start small by writing in a gratitude journal right before you go to bed or right after you wake up.
You can also meditate or pray, thinking about several things you are thankful for in your life as you do so. Practicing gratitude plays a huge role in meditation and prayer.
I try to write in my journal five things I am grateful for in general, and five things I did in the day that I was happy about. Even if I had a terrible day, I know I can always think of something that I am happy about. It really improves my attitude right before I sleep. I started doing this during the pandemic, and it was by far the best takeaway I got from such a strange and horrible time.
Try this out, it only takes about 10 minutes out of your day, and the results are life changing.