From the Everyday Health blog for today … an especially good reminder given the season: How many people realize practicing an attitude of gratitude can improve our health as well?
There’s no doubt that mind and body are connected, and this link is especially apparent when it comes to gratitude. “Research suggests that individuals who are grateful in their daily lives actually report fewer stress-related health symptoms, including headaches, gastrointestinal (stomach) issues, chest pain, muscle aches and appetite problems,” says Sheela Raja, PhD, an assistant professor and clinical psychologist in the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In another study, young teens who counted their blessings reported more optimism and satisfaction than those who didn’t. Grateful people are also often more content because they don’t spend a lot of time comparing themselves with others, says Raja.
“Feeling gratitude is a sense of what I would call appreciation, wonder and true thankfulness for what has occurred in our lives and what is going on right now, an eager anticipation of what is to come,” says Paula Ryan of Boulder, Colo., author of Giving Thanks, The Art of Tithing. “It’s being present to the wonders and joys of life as it is, without wanting it to be different, and a sense of fulfillment that comes from within, from seeing the good — or the potential for good — in every situation.”
Today I appreciate all the good in my life, pushing aside the uncertainties of the future. I look to the good that will come even from the most stressful situations. I pray for the help of the Holy Spirit as I face difficult days in the future. They are there, waiting quietly and in the shadows, details hidden and unknown to me. But they will not deter me from feeling appreciation and thankfulness, from holding steady to my course, one based on hard work, integrity and character.
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