KRON 4 | Why Gratitude Benefits Health and How to Practice It

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around. ~ Willie Nelson

Gratitude makes us joyful. It has the capacity to help you heal and the ability to energize and change your life. But feeling grateful is a learned skill, so cultivating and expressing it frequently (not just on Thanksgiving) will promote good-for-you health benefits.

The Health Benefits of Gratitude

Increases your mental strength. Grateful people tend to be more resilient. Instead of wallowing in what’s not working in their lives, they bounce back from adversity.
Improves your psychological health. Grateful people suffer from less depression, which reduces their risk of heart disease, dementia, and diabetes.
Improves your physical health. Grateful people tend to get sick less often and report fewer aches and pains. Because they feel better physically, they also tend to be more active, which also contributes to their physical wellbeing.
Improves your sleep. Grateful people stress less, which helps them have less trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and going back to sleep.
Enhances empathy and reduces aggression. Grateful people are less likely to be jealous and vengeful because they approach life with more empathy and sensitivity.
Helps you make friends. One study found that thanking a new acquaintance for their help makes them more likely to seek an ongoing social relationship.

The happiest people are those who are grateful for what they have.

Six Ways to Practice Gratitude Daily

The Gratitude Tree
The Gratitude Box
The Can of Beans – The happiest people are people who are grateful for what they have.
The Gratitude Rock
Origami – Origami is a practical tool that encourages self-expression, absorption, and reflection. Origami is a mindful activity, which actually calms the mind. When your mind is calm, you set the stage for feeling gratitude.
The Gratitude Journal – “Day One” Journal app