Gratitude can change your life
Research by Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough has found that people who develop the habit of practicing gratitude are psychologically, emotionally, and physically healthier than those that don’t.
Those that practice gratitude benefit in some of the following ways:
- Feel better about their lives as a whole
- Experience greater levels of joy and happiness
- Get sick less often
- Feel stronger during trying times
- Enjoy closer family ties
Gratitude is a practice, a skill we can develop to create greater awareness of what we can be thankful for. I know that when I feel discouraged, left out, or unsuccessful it’s often because my thinking has become negative. When I stop and work to think of all that I have to be grateful for, my mood improves and I feel better about life.
Here are a couple of articles I found online that summarize the research.
Cultivate the Healing Power of Gratitude
How Gratitude Can Change Your Life
Also, two great reads that have been influential in my life this year that relate to this topic.
The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris and Steven Hayes
Slow Down to the Speed of Life by Richard Carlson and Joe Bailey
Take a few minutes each day to practice the transformative power of gratitude
For a more in depth view of this topic, listen to the podcast at www.dennisbird.org
