Could practicing gratitude every day really help with stress and our outlook on life?
Interestingly research has shown practicing gratitude does indeed have many positive benefits.
Gratitude is simply taking time to appreciate what you have, the people around you, what you have in your life, the experiences you have had, as well as gratitude for yourself.
Research was undertaken with groups of people who were asked to practice gratitude. The study showed participants heart rates were lower when practising gratitude, compared to the same participants thinking of more negative thoughts such as resentment, anger and frustration.
In addition participants who practiced gratitude daily had the ability to have more positive emotions when in stressful situations resulting in becoming calmer and less tense. A gratitude practice can calm and soothe the emotional side of the brain assisting to stay in the parasympathetic nervous system rather than the fight or flight response of the sympathetic nervous system.
People who practice gratitude also tend to be more content, less materialistic, lead a healthy lifestyle, and can be more tolerate of others.
Tips to get you started
Keep a gratitude journal, every day write down 5 things you are truly grateful for
Notice small things and be grateful for them, a friend calling you, the smell of blossom in the air, the sun in the sky
When you wake up in the morning start your day with a positive self-affirmation to yourself
Take time every day to meditate
Take time every day to notice things that make you smile
Share a compliment with someone you meet, thank them for making your day
Walk in nature or by the sea and notice and be grateful for all the beauty you see and hear
At the end of every day write down or tell yourself 3 things that make you proud to be you
Be you, be happy, be filled with gratitude
