Thanksgiving is this week, and it’s a time when most of us try to reflect on what we’re thankful for. But this type of gratitude shouldn’t be limited to a single day of the year (especially when it’s immediately followed by the ironic shopping spree that implies we are certainly not grateful for what we already have!).
Gratitude has tremendous mental health benefits, and here I share a few with you and give you some ideas about how you can achieve those benefits by practicing gratitude more regularly.
But first, take a minute to think of 3 things you’re grateful for today, and then keep reading. Today, as I write, I am grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you; I am grateful to get to cuddle with my dog and keep him warm while I write; and I am grateful to have shared a couple of hours with my husband this evening connecting with each other about our days.
Over at Happier Human, this infographic was compiled summarizing how beneficial gratitude is.
Here are some thoughts about why the gratitude we have on Thanksgiving should continue all year round.
1. Gratitude makes us happier and less depressed.
Spending 5 minutes a day keeping a daily gratitude journal increases happiness by 10% — as much as doubling your income! The benefit here is that doubling your income is only fun for a little while, but the gratitude journal is a gift that keeps on giving and the happiness persists. Gratitude also helps protect us from suicidal thoughts.
2. Gratitude encourages us to be less materialistic.
So we can be just as happy as if we got a raise (see the last point) and be satisfied with what we already own, so we essentially did get a raise because we didn’t spend our money on stuff we don’t need.
3. Gratitude makes us more likable and improves our relationships.
When we take the time and exert the effort to tell people that we appreciate them (and why), they feel more connected to us and pursue the relationship more actively. They also perceive us as more trustworthy, more forgiving, and more willing to work through problems in the relationship.
4. Gratitude improves our self-esteem.
It keeps us from comparing ourselves negatively to other people and helps us appreciate our own accomplishments and other people’s accomplishments without resentment (which improves our relationships).
5. Gratitude helps us manage stress better and even recover from traumatic experiences.
This appears to be partly because people who practice gratitude tend to have better relationships that support them through emotional hardships.
6. Gratitude helps us be better employees.
People who practice gratitude tend to be more creative problem-solvers, more effective managers, and more patient coworkers. They also tend to be more satisfied with their job and less stressed.
7. Gratitude improves our physical health.
People who practice gratitude exercise more, go to the doctor more regularly, have lower blood pressure, and report fewer health complaints like aches and pains.
8. Gratitude improves sleep.
If you keep a gratitude journal, your happiness not only increases, but doing it before bedtime helps you sleep better, too.
9. Gratitude makes us 5% to 15% more optimistic.
In other words, the more we practice being grateful, the more we realize we have to be grateful for. Again, gift that keeps on giving.
In a nutshell, we oughta be grateful something as simple as gratitude exists to change our lives so profoundly!
Stay tuned for my next post, which will be about exactly how to practice gratitude. See you then!
Hayden C. Finch, PhD,
is a practicing psychologist
in Des Moines, Iowa.
