The power of gratitude is truly one of the main ingredients of a happy life.
One of the best things you can do is to personally write a quick note to someone just thanking them for whatever they did for you…it will make their day…AND YOURS!!
We’ve all gotten that little nudge at one time or another to be sure to voice our gratitude for something special that’s occurred in our lives. And while we may acknowledge to ourselves how grateful we are, too often we fail to actually express that gratitude to the person who was responsible for making your life a little cheerier. One reason for failing to do this is that we may think a mere thank-you wouldn’t mean much anyway. But, according to Research Digest, nothing could be further from the truth: The recipients of gratitude are much more touched by it than you think.
Gratitude is a gloriously beautiful thing in all ways, for both the receiver and giver of it. Not only that, an ever-growing body of research confirms that gratitude has a number of potent health benefits, almost like a drug for every major organ system. It in fact alters your brain in a number of ways, from generating pain-lowering effects to lowering inflammation levels and even stabilizing blood pressure and heart health.
Besides increasing your happiness and life satisfaction by lowering stress and emotional anxieties, it also improves mental health by triggering the release of the stress hormone cortisol and mood-regulating chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine.
But what exactly is gratitude? In short, according to one of my favorite books, “The Little Book of Gratitutde,” it “involves affirming the good and recognizing its sources. It is the understanding that life owes me nothing and all the good I have is a gift, accompanied by an awareness that nothing can be taken for granted.”
In other words, gratitude is a form of generosity that makes both you, the giver, and the recipient feel better all over, even if it’s only a verbal affirmation. The good news is you don’t have to wait for a special event to feel gratitude or express it. You can literally learn to adopt an attitude of gratitude that builds and strengthens with practice.
Begin by openly sharing what you’re grateful for, even if it’s just that your day went well without any bumps or hitches. You can do this by keeping a daily gratitude journal, on paper or online. Then write those thank-you notes, which by being expressed on paper can help you experience it more from the inside — as well making your recipient feel good too.
Nonverbal actions count too, so share smiles and hugs abundantly, for both joy and empathy or emotional support. Prayer and/or practicing mindfulness meditation is another way of feeling the power of gratitude. In many ways, mindfulness is similar to transcendental meditation, the idea of which is to reach a place of “restful” or “concentrated” alertness, which enables you to let negative thoughts and distractions pass by you without upsetting your calm and balance.
From Mercola
