the health benefits of gratitude

Gratitude

HAS MANY HEALTH BENEFITS

by Christine THOMPSON

It takes no great leap of faith to believe that an attitude of gratitude is beneficial to your psyche and, with a little further thought, also to your physical health. The common line of reasoning is that, since gratitude is a positive emotion, it would make you feel happier, probably by producing "feel-good" hormones, like endorphins, which have also been shown to have real health benefits.

Fortunately, we don't have to rely on just our reasoning power. We actually have some scientific proof of the benefits of gratitude. One notable study was done by the psychologists, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, leading gratitude researchers.

In a ten-week study, these researchers found that those who journaled about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives than those who wrote about irritations or just the details of their day. I want to highlight one particular finding of this study: the people journaling about gratitude also exercised more and had fewer visits to doctors than those who focused on sources of aggravation.

As reported in Psychology Today, Forbes and Time, here are 7 scientifically proven benefits of practicing gratitude: 1.Improved relationships. Turns out, just the simple act of saying, "thank you" can improve relationships all around. (Again, mom was right!) 2.Improved physical health. Grateful people experience fewer aches and pains and report feeling healthier than other people. 3.Improved emotional health. 4.Improved empathy and reduced aggression 5.Improved sleep. 6. Improved self-esteem 7.Reduced stress and PTSD. Research has long shown that gratitude reduces stress, but it may also play a star role in recovering from t r a u m a . According to one study war veterans with higher levels of gratitude exhibited lower incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

This is all well and good, but what if you just didn't grow up experiencing much gratitude and it doesn't come naturally to you? How do you become a more grateful person and make gratitude more of a benefit to your long term health picture? Well, gratitude is just like any other habit. You have to treat it like a muscle. Practice, practice, practice. Consistency is the key. I always stress, with any habit you are trying to incorporate into your life, consistency has much more effect than intensity or duration.

Believe it or not, a small time commitment, done diligently, with intention and consistently for years, has the potential to improve your experience of life, and therefore your health outlook … probably more than you think.

Here's three steps to help you incorporate gratitude into your life and reap the health and happiness benefits: Start a Gratitude Journal. Write down three things you are grateful for every night before going to sleep. Every time you find yourself thinking about something irritating or depressing, remind yourself of something you are grateful for or appreciate about your life situation. Every day make a conscious habit of stopping a minute to thank someone or tell someone what you appreciate about them.

If you incorporate these three habits into your daily life, you are sure to improve your outlook, your level of satisfaction with your life and also your health and well-being. What have you got to lose? Give it a try. But don't wait. Take action right now. No, I mean RIGHT NOW.

Christine Thompson is a Doctor of Chiropractic. She is the CEO & Founder of Whole Health Solutions Inc. 434 Bridgewater Street.www.whole-health.net

Life Coaching

lack of self-love

Lack of self-love helps create negative emotions. "Every negative feeling we hold stems from the lack of self- love.", says Paul Ferrini, (The 12 Steps of Forgiveness)

February is the month of love and lovers. We celebrate our most intimate and treasured relationships. However, we often forget that one of the most treasured relationships is the relationship with ourselves.

Self-love is a vital part of good self-esteem. Self-esteem is the engine that moves us forward and empowers us in the world. When we talk about loving ourselves and honoring our feelings, we are not implying this should take place at the expense of others or in an egotistical manner. Rather, we want to respect ourselves, because all human beings are valuable and precious, including us. Selfesteem is the foundation of life coaching. As a professional life coach, I am always looking for self-esteem issues that may surface with my clients. I often suggest clients check in with self-esteem, by asking themselves the following questions. 1) Do I value myself? 2) Am I honest with myself and with others? 3) Do I maintain good physical and psychological balance and boundaries in my daily life? 4) Do I take responsibility for my actions and their consequences? 5) Am I able to show humility when it is appropriate? 6) Am I able to forgive others and myself and move my life forward?

Only we know what decisions and actions feel right for us. What then keeps us from listening to our wise inner guidance and follow its direction? When we feel negative about our life's circumstances, how can we then become alert to the thoughts and perceptions that we are creating in our mind? Any negative view of our life can cause us to experience unpleasant emotions. Low self-esteem is usually the main cause of our negative perceptions.

Paul Ferrini offers some advice that can be very helpful in shifting us out of negative emotions and negative selflove: Recognize the feeling. Do not justify or condemn the feeling. Allow the feeling to speak to you. Honor the feeling. It has an internal communication for you. Take complete responsibility for your feeling. Refuse the inclination to make anyone else responsible for it. As you feel the feeling, you can discover that you may not be very loving to yourself or another in that moment. Stay with the feeling, allowing this new insight to sink in. Next, the unhappy feeling will begin to shift, as you change your thoughts.

Ultimately, the missing self-love must be supplied by us. This is why it is never helpful to blame others or conditions in our life. If we can remember to choose love for others, and ourselves, we are making the healthiest choice for everyone.

By Marcia Grimsley

"Know that you are living a great story. It is the story of you. The next chapter is right now in front of you, unfolding. Live it with dignity!" says Jean Houston, PhD., Author, Teacher, and Philosopher

Marcia Grimsley, BA, MS, is a Professional Life Coach She offers Personal, Career & Business and Health & Welllbeing Coaching Contact her at 540-785-4104 or www.marciaslifecoaching.com