When you think of being healthy, you might think of eating vegetables, drinking water and working out. Gratitude probably doesn’t even make it onto your healthy habits list. However gratitude is a word that we hear often at this time of the year and being grateful might be one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental well being. Let’s have a look at how gratitude makes you healthier, and how to practice it regularly.
Are you coming from a place of gratitude or grumbles?
We all have our grumpy days some days. But if you find yourself constantly saying things such as ‘no one appreciates me’, ‘people are so rude’, ‘life isn’t fair’, or similar attitudes, you might be missing out on gratitude.
For example, you might be out shopping (watch out Boxing Day sales), and someone barges past you with a full trolley to get to the checkout. You might get really grumpy at their selfishness, and let it throw out your mood for the rest of the day.
But when you focus on the negative, you might miss the greater context. Maybe they have their kids hanging off them, and they just want to get out of there (we’ve all had those days). Or maybe you didn’t notice the person who stepped aside to let you pass them.
This is all too common when it comes to your health and well being. Women often come to me and say things like:
I have so much weight left to lose
Pregnancy ruined my body – I hate my stretch marks!
I lost all my fitness when I had kids – now I have to start from scratch
But what these women aren’t seeing is the blessings that came with those situations. They don’t see the weight they’ve already lost or the fact that their body gave birth to a healthy human being. They don’t see that they have a functioning body that allows them to rebuild their fitness.
This negative mindset is why many people fail to achieve their health goals. They’re focusing on what’s ‘wrong’, instead of appreciating the progress.
But if you turn your way of thinking around, you can move towards a more grateful mindset that makes you feel better and is more supportive of your health goals.
Why gratitude is essential for wellbeing?
I probably don’t need to tell you that gratitude is good for your mental health. We’ve all experienced how gratitude can make us feel more upbeat and happy.
But gratitude is also beneficial for your physical wellbeing. Studies have shown the benefits of gratitude to include a strong immune system, reducing the experience of aches and pains, reduce stress, lower blood pressure and even help you get a better night’s sleep!
It’s important to remember that you don’t have to be positive all the time to benefit from a sense of gratitude. Instead, it’s about the overall pattern of being positive and grateful vs negative and ungrateful.
How to develop a gratitude mindset?
Are you looking to bring more gratitude into your life? The more that you practice expressing and feeling gratitude, the more grateful you will feel. So here are some tips for you to practice more gratitude.
When you wake up, start with gratitude – think of 3-5 things you are grateful for each morning as you lie in bed. That way, you’re already starting the day off with a positive mindset. It also sets you up for spotting more reasons to be grateful throughout the day.
Finish your day the same way – as you wind down for the night, think back over your day. What were you grateful for? It could be something big, or it could be something small like finding the perfect parking spot at the supermarket.
Take time to express your gratitude – when you’re grateful for someone, tell them! It might be something they did for you, or it might be the way that you feel around them. This is a win for both of you – you get to express your gratitude, and they feel good because they know they are appreciated by you.
Keep a jar of awesomeness – we often forget all of the amazing things that we accomplish. Whenever something awesome happens, write yourself a little note on a post-it reminding you what you did and how it makes you feel. Once you’re done, pop it into a jar. If you’re having a down day, or if you just want a mood boost, re-read your jar of notes.
Neale Donald Walsch said it best when he said, ‘the struggle ends when gratitude begins’.
My Mind and Body Bootcamp includes practising gratitude as well as ways to reduce your bodies reactions to stress (hint: gratitude).
Combined with 28 days worth of exercise and nutrition, it is a perfect reset to your mind and body. The next round starts on 1 January 2020. Make sure to book your spot by contacting me here.
