Are you someone who wants to live a happier, healthier, and fuller life?
I've been there.
"Thankfulness makes much of little." — Charles Spurgeon
In each waking day, there is always a reason for us to be grateful. It's a miracle for us to be able to wake up, open our eyes and live through another day. It's a privilege to have breath in our lungs, to have eyes that can see and experience the glorious skies, to have ears that can hear the chirping birds, and just to be well and whole everyday. Not many people have the same privilege, but often times, these people are happier than most and living the most out of their lives. Growing up, I've noticed how most of the rich people I know are often the saddest, living miserable lives, and most of the people that come from families that barely make ends meet are often the happiest, living their best lives. I've always wondered how the people who have almost everything they would ever need and have almost nothing to worry about still live defeated and miserable lives, and in the contrary, how the people who have miserable back stories and difficult living conditions still manage to be happy and live full lives. Our health won't always be at a 100%, we won't always have enough money in our bank accounts and food in our pantries, our days won't always be sunshine and rainbows, but I realized that our choice to be grateful despite every circumstance will allow us to live a happier, healthier and fuller life.
What are the Benefits of Being a Grateful Person?
Make the most out of your life today and choose to be grateful. Here are the benefits of being a grateful person:
Benefit #1: Being Grateful Makes You a Happier Person.
Years ago, I came across a Ted Talk by David Steindl-Rast in 2013 titled, "Want to be Happy? Be Grateful.", and it started a paradigm shift in my perspective. He was talking about how he noticed that most of the people have this common denominator that each and every one of us want to be happy. And the most common concept that people have is that when you are happy, you are grateful. But is it really the happy people that are grateful? Let's get back to that thought in a while. Human as we are, we still go through the motions, and we are not exempt from circumstances in our lives. Often times, we still experience different kinds of situations that bring negative emotions and feelings, which are valid. Then we think to ourselves, "How can we have joy in our trials?", "How can we remain happy in distressing situations?", "How can we see the good in the midst of bad situations?" What we have in common is our desire to live a happier life, and the billion-dollar secret and key to being happy is gratefulness.
Why is that? Many people have everything it takes to be happy, yet they are not happy. Often times, people still are miserable because they are not contended with what they have. They may desire for something else, things they don't have, or they desire for more of the same. There are also people who barely make ends meet, go through misfortune and distressing circumstances in their lives, but they are happy people and radiate joy wherever they go. Why? Gratefulness. It's what makes all the difference. When we focus on the things we don't have, we will always have less. Ungrateful people will feel like they never have enough—there is no contentment, fulfillment, and they are never satisfied. Therefore, this negative outlook will never lead to a happy life. On the other hand, when we focus on the things we have, we will always have more. Grateful people are thankful in all situations and will always see the good in the bad—there is contentment, fulfillment, and satisfaction. Therefore, the answer to the question is that the happy people are not always the grateful ones. But it's the grateful people that are happy.
You may think it's easier said than done, and that it's not easy to practice gratitude when things get rough. However, gratitude is an attitude that we can choose to live out everyday. It's more than just what we say or do, but it's the state of our heart and mind in the midst of crisis and distressing situations, which allows us to have a positive outlook and be in a happier state, physically and mentally. This is scientifically proven in a study involving nearly 300 adults seeking counseling services at a university, where one randomized group wrote a gratitude letter each week for three weeks. The gratitude group reported significantly better mental health (compared to the control group) at follow-up, 12 weeks after the last writing exercise. Another type of written gratitude practice is counting blessings, or “Three Good Things." A study of this practice found that people who wrote down three things that had gone well in their day and identified the causes of those good things were significantly happier and less depressed, even six months after the study ended. (excerpt from Mindful.org). This is just but one of the multiple studies in the science behind the benefits of gratitude, and it has long been proven how practicing gratitude directly correlates with happiness and its positive effects on our brain, by activating neurotransmitters that regulate our mood. As what Amy E. Keller, PsyD says, "Experiencing gratitude activates neurotransmitters like dopamine, which we associate with pleasure, and serotonin, which regulates our mood. It also causes the brain to release oxytocin, a hormone which induces feelings like trust and generosity which promotes social bonding and feeling connected."
Always remember: if you want to be happy, be grateful. A grateful person is a happy person.
"...If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.” — Roy T. Bennett
Benefit #2: Being Grateful Allows You to Live a Healthier Life.
In addition to the positive mental and psychological effects of gratitude on our brain that correlates with our mood and overall feeling of happiness, it also directly correlates with our physical health.
In an article written by Amy Morin, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, she noted: Grateful people experience fewer aches and pains and report feeling healthier than other people, according to a 2012 study published in Personality and Individual Differences. Not surprisingly, grateful people are also more likely to take care of their health. They exercise more often and are more likely to attend regular check-ups, which is likely to contribute to further longevity.
In another article written by Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury, BA, a certified psychiatric counselor, she also noted: Counting Blessings vs Burdens (Emmons & McCullough, 2003), a study conducted on evaluating the effect of gratitude on physical wellbeing, indicated that 16% of the patients who kept a gratitude journal reported reduced pain symptoms and were more willing to work out and cooperate with the treatment procedure. A deeper dig into the cause unleashed that by regulating the level of dopamine, gratitude fills us with more vitality, thereby reducing subjective feelings of pain.
After my own personal research on the science behind the effects of gratitude, I have come to realize that it's true and that I experienced this myself. In the past, I've always had a negative outlook in life because of the situation I was in. I used to have dreams and a vision for myself and my family, but it faded over the years. And ever since, I may have been a realist—someone who hopes for or accepts only what seems possible or likely, and does not hope for or expect more (Definition from Cambridge-Dictionary, dictionary.cambridge.org). I've lost hope and have lost my dreams and vision. I've come from a broken family that was struggling financially, and all I saw in my life was the situation I was in. I grew up holding a grudge against my parents for the life I experienced. I was always embarrassed to be the last at everything in school because we weren't financially capable, and although I had good friends and was socially active, I still felt like the odd one out because there were things they had and have experienced that I don't have and have not had the financial means to experience. Over the years, we were able to get out of our situation and was slowly able to earn and experience things we couldn't have been able to. I realized, I thought it's what I wanted, but now that I have it, why am I still miserable? Why do I now have the things I didn't have before, and I still feel the same way I have felt when I had nothing? And I realized one thing, it's gratitude that I have missed all along.
All those years, I struggled with my mental health that also affected me physically. But in 2016, I knew Jesus Christ and became a believer. It changed my life forever. And I realized that everything we have is from Him, for Him, and finds sustenance in Him. Everything I have or will ever acquire in this life is something I could never take credit for. Let alone the air we breathe, the life we are able to live, the skies and the seas, and everything else. And I realized that each and everyday of our lives, there is always a reason to be grateful. Ever since, I have made that decision to wake up each day with a heart of gratitude because each waking day is a miracle. And everyday, we experience thousands of miracles and blessings that we overlook when we focus on our problems, the things we don't have, and the situations we may struggle with. Until today, I have been at my best health, physically and mentally. Yes, I still have struggles, and I still get a cold every once in a while, but even in the midst of those, I still feel happy and well.
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” — Alphonse Karr
Benefit #3: Being Grateful Empowers You to Lead a Full Life.
According to Robert Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and one of the world’s leading experts on the science of gratitude, defines gratitude as having two parts. The first is an affirmation of goodness: People can learn to wake up to the good around them and notice the gifts they have received. The second part of gratitude is recognizing that the source of this goodness rests outside of oneself—that we receive these gifts from other people, and from a higher power. In other words, gratitude helps people realize that they wouldn’t be where they are without the help of others. This is a powerful statement that I firmly believe in. Being grateful is when we acknowledge that where we are where we are now, not because of ourselves, but because of God and of people around us. There is nothing we could ever boast and take credit for. It takes humility in gratitude and through the lens of gratefulness, it empowers us to lead a life that is full, well-rounded, and gives us a sense of fulfillment.
To lead or experience a full life means being able to make the most out of our lives. And what does gratitude have to do with that? Being grateful allows us to see others and how they add value to our lives that we cannot do it alone in this life. When we lose sight of gratitude, we lose sight of the value and gift of others around us. Therefore, we put a "lid" in our lives that will hinder our growth and our potential to do great things. You may be in good health today because of someone else's prayer. You may be great at something today because of someone who mentored you years before. You may be in a better place in life today because of someone who believed in you and empowered you.
We are not sufficient on our own. If you think about it, there are scientific processes that happen each day that allow us to breathe, live, and enjoy in nature. We have meticulously complex organs and organ systems that work in a specific way that is optimal for its specific function. There's so much more than cannot be explained in any other way, other than the fact there is a higher power, a Creator. The life we have today is a privilege and a gift. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. So, when we practice gratitude in our daily lives, we acknowledge that everything we have, most importantly, our life, is a gift from God. When we acknowledge that we need God and we need people around us, we allow God and others to help us and add value in our lives. Alone, we can do something. But together, we can do so much more.
Never lose sight of gratitude; to God, to people alongside you who helped you be where you are now, and in all things. It's the key to living a full life.
“Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things.” — Rhonda Byrne
"A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of growth in grace and a thankful heart." — Charles Grandison Finney
In conclusion, cultivating gratitude everyday will lead to a happier, healthier, and full life. Let's welcome each waking day with a heart of gratitude, counting our blessings each day, and expressing our thankfulness to God and people around us. It's a decision and a conscious choice we have to make everyday.
May this blog post remind us to always be grateful in all circumstances that we may reap the benefits of gratitude in our lives. Do share your heart and thoughts in the comments. See you on the next blog post!
Sending love,
Coleene.
Read the previous blog post: Courage in Vulnerability: Reasons Why It's Okay to Ask for Help
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