Here is a list of a few of those benefits so you know what you can expect if you start practicing gratitude on a daily basis.

The Mental Benefits Of Gratitude

There are a number of studies that attribute the practice of gratitude to helping with overall mental health.

When we are grateful for what we have in life, we find that we have a better outlook on life in general.

You may find that you come away from a gratitude mediation feeling happy and calm.

The benefits don’t just stop at feeling happy and calm. In fact, feeling gratitude has been associated with having a better self-image.

As well, people often feel less anxious and even see a decrease in feelings of being depressed.

The reason for this is that studies have shown that there is an increase in the levels of dopamine and serotonin after a gratitude mediation session.

The Physical Benefits Of Gratitude

This is very interesting. When it comes to the mental benefits of gratitude we know that certain feel-good hormones are released.

But did you know that gratitude can also have positive effects on your physical body?

The reason is that gratitude can reduce stress. As a result, you sleep better, your blood pressure reduces and you even have more energy.

When you feel better you tend to be more active resulting in better overall health.

Perhaps your gratitude exercise will motivate you to go for a walk or do some other form of exercise. This means that you end up getting more oxygen into your body.

If you walk outdoors you could increase the absorption of Vitamin D.

When we get a good night’s sleep we tend to eat less because we are experiencing less stress. This in turn helps us make smarter food choices.

All these benefits of gratitude mean that we end up with a stronger and healthier version of ourselves.

Another physical benefit of gratitude is an improvement in heart health. Gratitude means reducing stress and lower stress means lower blood pressure.

Thus there is less strain on a person’s heart.

That coupled with exercise and a good night’s sleep strengthens the heart muscle.

Since heart disease is one of the leading causes of death, there is never been a better time to practice gratitude as a way of letting go of stress.

Some Thoughts:

What is the best way to tap into both the mental and physical benefits of gratitude?

By feeling more gratitude of course!

This is of course going to take some effort on your part.

One place to start is by creating a habit of thinking about something you are grateful for first thing in the morning.

This will set the tone for the whole day.

It gets you started on the right foot so you can reap these powerful benefits.

Choosing Gratitude

You can actually choose gratitude.

As well you can choose how happy you are, or how stressed out you are, and even how well you sleep.

You can also choose to be grateful for what you have in your life. The result is happiness!

On the other hand, you can choose to focus on what you don’t have in life, who did you wrong, or how the world sucks!

Of course, that is also what you are going to get. You get to feel miserable.

Blaming others or circumstances is not going to give you the happiness you seek.

It is important to realize that happiness comes from the choices you make.

So, choose happiness or choose to be miserable. It’s all up to you!

How to Make the Right Choices

One way to ensure that you have a happy and fulfilled life is by focusing more on gratitude.

You can get upset when things don’t go your way. How you choose to get beyond the upset is what will make a difference in your outlook.

If you choose to dwell on all the disappointments in your life, you will just get more upset and angry.

If someone stands you up for a lunch date, you can go home and let it ruin your day.

Or you can still go out for lunch on your own and enjoy the meal. The choice is yours.

By taking a different approach, one based on gratitude.

You can decide that you get to have some quiet time and order whatever you want to eat.

Being grateful for this time means that you don’t have to be upset at your friend standing you up.

Choose Happiness!

Do you realize that what we concentrate on can very likely occur?

When we practice gratitude we are actually training our minds to be more positive.

There are actually some fascinating physical associations that can occur.

When we practice gratitude and positive thinking, there is a direct effect on brain chemistry.

When we focus on gratitude and happiness we get to control the release of chemicals and neurotransmitters in the brain.

There is an influence on how you feel both physically and mentally.

Want More Feel-Good Hormones?

By focusing on happiness and gratitude, a release of two hormones: dopamine and serotonin occurs in the brain.

These two neurotransmitters are cause us to have fuzzy warm feelings.

It is true that both exercise and chocolate can also cause a release of these hormones.

However, when we give and receive gratitude we are increasing the release of these powerful antidepressants.

The result is that you are able to create your own happiness. It is, however, not just a cerebral exercise.

When we focus on the positive by creating an intentional attempt to be more grateful we are able to change the balance of hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain.

So by practicing gratitude, the resulting feelings of happiness are a strong approach on how to overcome depression and anxiety.

Not only does this work better than any drug your doctor could prescribe there are no harmful side effects.

Fewer Stress Hormones

When we are scared or anxious, our bodies will release stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.

Although not always a bad thing as it helps us to react faster to a threat, it can rob us of our health if it is constant.

The downside of stress hormones is that too much can cause depression, weight gain, anxiety, and even put stress on the heart.

It is important to reduce stress in our lives and it seems that one very powerful strategy is to practice gratitude. along with positive thinking, this is a powerful way to have a happy life.

Learning to Be Grateful Can Increase Happiness Video:

By choosing happiness you will be able to do wonders for your mental and physical health.

When we focus on being grateful, we allow more good things to come into our lives.

Also, by being grateful we can still cultivate happiness when we have challenges or bad things happen.

So stop waiting for the right circumstances or the right person.

Stop waiting for happiness to find you. Just be happy now!

By choosing to practice gratitude you can experience the health benefits of gratitude.

The post The Health Benefits of Gratitude appeared first on Create the Best Life.