10 Ways Gratitude Improves Your Life

Thanksgiving is here. Isn’t it such a great holiday? It’s all about being with people you love and appreciating what you have.

This probably won’t come as a surprise to you, but even science is behind the idea that gratitude is good for you!

To celebrate Thanksgiving, here’s a roundup of some scientific findings about gratitude:

1. Expressing gratitude is linked to positive social, psychological and health outcomes like optimism, exercise, and feeling healthy.
2. Saying thank you strengthens romantic relationships.
3. People who are grateful for what they have are more likely to find meaning in life.
4. Thanking a new acquaintance for their help makes that acquaintance more likely to want to be your friend.
5. Gratitude and good sleep are connected.
6. Writing letters expressing gratitude increases happiness.
7. Counting one’s blessings can benefit depressed people who haven’t responded to medication.
8. Gratitude increases self-esteem and decreases depression and suicidal thoughts.
9. The more you practice gratitude, the more thankful you feel.
10. Giving thanks can result in better mood, better sleep, less fatigue, and a healthier heart.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Author

Satu H. Woodland, PMHCNS-BC, APRN Satu Woodland is owner and clinician of Hope Mental Health, an integrative mental health practice located at Bown Crossing in Boise, Idaho. She sees children, adolescents, and adults.  Ms. Woodland with her background in nursing, prefers a holistic and integrative approach to mental health care that addresses the mind and body together. While Ms. Woodland provides medication management services in all her patients, she believes in long-lasting solutions that include a number of psychotherapies, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, attention to lifestyle, evidenced based alternative psychiatric care and spirituality. If you’d like to gain control over your mental health issues, call Hope Mental Health at 208-918-0958, or use the online scheduling tool to set up an initial consultation.