Most of us are aware that there’s a connection between our mind and body. But is it significant? Here is a guest post, “Gratitude and Wellness: The Mind-Body Connection” by my friend, Donna Lam.
Guest post by Donna S. Lam
Gratitude is a potent force, offering an abundance of mental and physical benefits that are only beginning to be fully understood. By embracing gratitude, you open the door to a brighter outlook on life and a host of positive effects. Let’s explore some of these benefits to give you a glimpse of the transformative power of gratitude.
The Mental Benefits Of Gratitude
Practicing gratitude enhances mental health, fostering a more positive outlook. After a gratitude session, expect to walk away with a smile. Beyond happiness, gratitude correlates with improved self-image, reduced anxiety, and less depression. Scientists have observed heightened dopamine and serotonin levels post-gratitude meditations, supporting these findings.
The Physical Benefits Of Gratitude
This is where it gets interesting. It’s one thing to feel better emotionally, but the release of these “feel-good” hormones affects your physical body as well. Gratitude reduces stress and with it, you’re sleeping better, your blood pressure lowers, and you have more energy. As a result, you move more, leading to even better overall physical health. Maybe your gratitude exercise motivates you to go out for a walk, getting more oxygen into your body and loading up on Vitamin D. Being able to sleep soundly reduces appetite and less stress helps you make smarter food choices. All these things work hand in hand to turn you into a healthier and stronger version of yourself.
Gratitude is particularly important for heart health. Between the lower blood pressure and reduced stress, you are putting less strain on your heart. The added exercise and sleep strengthen your heart muscle and give this most important organ time to recover and heal overnight. With heart disease one of the leading causes of death in modern society, there’s never been a better time to practice gratitude and let go of stress.
How can you tap into both the mental and physical benefits of gratitude? By feeling more of it. Of course, that’s easier said than done. A great place to start is by creating a habit of thinking of at least one person or one thing you are deeply grateful for each morning as soon as you wake up. It sets the tone for the whole day and gets you off to a great start to reap these powerful benefits. Give it a try!
Gratitude – It’s All About Choices
How you feel – how happy you are, how stressed you are, even how well you sleep – may seem like it’s out of your hand, but it is actually a choice you make. You can choose to be grateful for what you have and happiness follows. Or you can choose to focus on what you’re lacking, who has wronged you, and what’s not going your way. And guess what? You’ll feel miserable. You may blame others, circumstances, or fate for your unhappiness. But, at the end of the day it’s all about you and the choices you make. You choose happiness or misery.
How can you make sure you make the right choices throughout life? One of the simplest ways to ensure you live a happy and fulfilled life is to focus on gratitude. Of course, that’s easier said than done. You get upset when your friend stands you up on your lunch date and that’s okay. How you choose to move forward from here is what will make the difference. You can choose to dwell on the slight you think your friend gave you. The more you think about it, the angrier you get. Instead of having lunch at the new restaurant you were looking forward to trying, you get back into your car, drive home and let it ruin your day. That’s a choice. Now let’s look at a different one.
Same scenario. Your friend stands you up. You’re disappointed and maybe even a little mad. You take a deep breath, let those negative feelings go and make a choice based on gratitude. What can you find in this situation that you can be grateful for? Maybe you’ve been wishing for some quiet alone time so you can hear yourself think. Maybe there’s a store you’ve wanted to check out or a movie you’ve wanted to see for a while and this is the time to do it. Maybe there’s an old friend you’ve been meaning to visit. Or maybe you’ll simply enjoy a good meal by yourself and grab some takeout for your spouse on the way out the door.
Instead of heading home angry, you’re going home grateful for these few special hours you carved out for yourself. And who knows. Maybe you talk to your friend later that evening and find out that she had a family emergency that caused her to miss your lunch date. How guilty would you feel then about the anger you let yourself feel towards her? And how guilty would she feel for having ruined your day? Instead, focusing on gratitude and making the best of the situation, you created happiness for yourself. If you ask me, that’s some sort of super power.
Forgiveness – What’s Holding You Back?
As you delve into gratitude’s impact on the mind and body, you’ll be increasingly awed by its potential. Let’s explore how forgiveness can free us from the things that are holding us back. More importantly, let’s dive a little deeper and into the mind-body connection of practicing (or not practicing) forgiveness. Delving deeper into forgiveness’s mind-body connection, we’ll conclude with a crucial revelation.
Think back on the last time you held a grudge. What did that feel like? Did you have a pit in your stomach? Did you have trouble sleeping? Were you distracted from other, more important things? What did you lose because you chose to stay angry at the other person? Holding a grudge isn’t good for you. Not only that, but the person you’re holding the grudge against probably doesn’t even remember what they did. They are not suffering because you’re upset. You are. You’re holding on to all that negativity and it’s solely poisoning you. And it doesn’t stop at destroying your mental health. All this anger and resentment can and will make you physically sick. Your blood pressure goes up; your immune response goes down. You’re not sleeping well which has other health implications. And let’s not even talk about all the junk food you’re eating while in this state of stress.
Don’t let holding a grudge make you sick. Instead, focus on forgiveness and gratitude. Take a deep breath and find it in your heart to forgive the other person. It’s not easy, but it is within your power. Be the better person. Take the higher road. Do it for yourself because you know you will instantly feel better and it will do wonders for your mental and physical health and wellbeing.
I hinted at the fact that there’s something surprising about forgiveness earlier. I’m sure you’re eager to know what that’s about and why it’s something you need to know. It’s the idea that forgiveness isn’t really about the person you are forgiving. Sure, there are times when they appreciate or even demand your forgiveness. But even so, the person benefiting the most is you. That’s right. Forgiveness isn’t for the other person. It’s what sets you free and allows you to pursue happiness and be fulfilled in your own life.
Gratitude isn’t just a nice sentiment; it’s a powerful tool for improving your overall well-being. By choosing to focus on gratitude, you can enhance your mental health, reduce stress, improve your physical health, and even strengthen your relationships. So, why not start each day with a moment of gratitude? The benefits are too great to ignore, and the positive effects can ripple through every aspect of your life.
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward
I’m Donna SLam, who loves to blog about how meditation brings self-compassion, peace of mind, and clarity to my life and others by sharing tips and strategies to live a fulfilling and purposeful life. Wellness and abundance are topics that frequently find their way onto my blog. I enjoy championing others to lead a healthy and happy life through meditation, walking, self-development, and spending time with loved ones.
Reach out to me at any time and for any reason – Donna @ DonnaPresents dot com. If you prefer, I’m on Twitter – https://twitter.com/DonnaSLam every day, several times a day where I share how to revitalize your life through meditation, a virtually risk-free, and cost-less practice, that people of all ages can do with a little patience and guidance, and will serve you well for the rest of your life.
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