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In light of the month being for Thanksgiving, and being thankful for things in your life, I want to focus on how being in the state of gratitude can change your attitude. When you start your day being grateful for the important things in your life you will have a positive attitude the rest of the day. Taking the time each day even if it’s only five minutes to thank God for the wonderful blessings in your life will make the day overall be more positive.
Here are some benefits to being in a state of gratitude and how it affects your life:
1. Gratitude improves relationships and makes new ones. Saying “thank you” to others is not just good manners but it shows appreciation and can help you make more friends. This also makes others want to be around you for ongoing relationships.
2. Gratitude improves physical health. Grateful people experience fewer aches and pains and feel healthier than other people. When you are a grateful person you tend to take better care of your health, exercise more often and get regular check-ups, which contributes to further longevity.
3. Gratitude will improve psychological health. Being someone that focuses on gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.
4. Gratitude helps you sleep better. Expression the things you are grateful for in your life whether by praying to God or writing in a journal will help you to sleep better over all.
5. Gratitude reduces aggression. Those that are more grateful tend to not seek out revenge or be less kind.
6. Gratitude improves your self-esteem. Rather than being resentful toward others who have more money or better jobs you appreciate other people’s accomplishments.
7. Gratitude increases your mental strength. Gratitude reduces stress and helps with overcoming any major trauma in your life. Recognizing all you have to be thankful for even during the worst times of your life helps foster resilience.
Taking a few moments out of each day to focus on all that you have, rather than complaining about the things you think you deserve will change many things in your life for the better. We could all focus on the negative things going on in our lives, but it won’t change it. If you focus on the positive and are thankful for the things in your life that are blessings it will help you have more satisfaction with your life.
Give it a try for the rest of the month. Start each day being thankful for all the blessings in your life, Practice Gratitude. Does not matter how simple they may be. You can even repeat them each day because I do. I want God to know that I’m truly grateful for my husband, my daughter, my income, the shelter in which I live, transportation to get around, each family member, friend, pet or animal, even a working fridge, washer or dryer. I also let God know how thankful I am that I live in a country I get to worship him freely. I thank Him for the church I attend, the pastor and his wife, the music leader and those that attend each week. I thank God for the animals I see in my yard each day from the hummingbirds, Quail, bunnies, coyotes and more. Be as specific as you want to be about anything that touches you. A tree, a flower, the greeter at Walmart, the pharmacist that was so nice, the postal carrier that brought your package to the door and so on. If it makes your life better then be thankful for it.
When it comes to those things we can’t change like health issues, loss of job, needing food and what not you have to look at the parts that are a blessing. Maybe you didn’t feel right working at that job and it was a conflict with your beliefs, then something better is around the corner for you. If it’s your health and you are struggling each day with pain and some type of illness that is lingering, then be thankful for the things others do for you when you couldn’t, from cooking, cleaning to visiting to lift your spirits. There is always something to be grateful for in your life you just have to look.
Here is a little story I heard to help you understand how this can change your life. A woman went to her doctor complaining about everything under the sun during her visit. Nothing was going well for this woman from the time she walked in the front door and had to sign in until she saw the doctor himself and no matter what he suggested or what he attempted to do she just kept complaining. He decided a new tactic was in order. He wrote on a prescription pad for her to go home and start each day looking for the positive in her life and being grateful. The real kicker was that she had to do it as often as she could all day long every day. She looked at his prescription and commented that she wanted some real medicine for her problems. He told her to try this for thirty days then come back and see him. The lady complained all the way home about how this doctor has lost his mind wanting her to do such a thing. Seeing no other choice she decided to give it a try. After thirty days she came back to see him and nothing was bothering her, her health had improved, her smile was found once more for her face and everyone around her wanted to know what she was doing differently because she was a changed person. Relationships got better, people wanted to be around her, her health improved and overall she was a better person.
There is one more group of individuals that I wish to thank today and count as a blessing, and that’s the Veteran’s of this country. There are no real words that can ever repay your sacrifice or those of your family. I thank you for your service in our military. I thank you for fighting for our freedoms. I thank you today since it’s also Veteran’s day as you have blessed my life and those of this country for your efforts to keep us free.
Accept the challenge to practice gratitude the rest of the month and see how things improve for you.
Enjoy, share and leave a comment on how gratitude has changed your life and attitude for the better. Look forward to hearing from you.
Have a blessed day!