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GRATITUDE

Writer's picture: Rachel RodriguezRachel Rodriguez

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and many of us are still scrambling around trying to gather all the goodies that we usually indulge in during this festive holiday. So many will use this time to reflect on the many things in their lives that they are grateful for. However, what would happen if we had an attitude of gratitude every day of our lives? There are not only significant benefits spiritually to being grateful, but even scientists recognize the importance of it.


Scientists have found that gratitude has a positive lasting effects on the brain. When a person feels the positive emotions of gratefulness, their brain structure actually changes. First, the medial prefrontal cortex of the brain lights up... which is responsible for feelings of reward, morality, social connections, and the ability to recognize positive things and experiences. Gratitude actually creates new neural pathways in these zones. Repeated practice strengthens our ability to revisit positive experiences and their emotional benefits over time.


They also found that gratitude boosts the immune system. Feeling grateful for the circumstances in our lives, through the ups and downs, increases our optimism about our present and future. Immunology is now revealing that optimism boosts our immunity by increasing our red blood cell count. In addition to these fortifying cells, thankfulness promotes better sleep and lower levels of stress, two key factors in healthy immune function. When we feel grateful, and activate those healing emotions of positivity and optimism, our brain releases a surge of those feel-good chemicals and hormones like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. These surges enhance mood and ease anxiety.


Gratitude reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. There is even evidence that a sustained gratitude practice abates the symptoms of clinical depression and PTSD over time. In conjunction with professional services or medications, incorporating thankfulness as a daily habit can operate like a natural antidepressant... and it’s available to everyone.


Gratitude can promote long lasting happiness. Feeling grateful for what we have promotes feelings of optimism and positivity. When we are able to see our situation in a positive light, negative thoughts will start to fall away. And as we express gratitude, the pervasive negative thinking that plagues many of our minds abates. The more we practice appreciating our lives, the easier it will become to feel content long term no matter what situations arise. It’s a pretty simple way to powerfully experience more joy and happiness.


Gratitude creates and strengthens relationships. Gratefulness does so much for our inner lives. But it doesn’t stop there. Studies show that when we are feeling grateful, it benefits EVERYONE around us. We are much more inclined to want to spread that positivity to others, be more generous and display our gratitude. Our empathy is enhanced. This promotes new social bonds, strengthens the relationships we already have, and is even shown to make us more prosocial in future interactions.


Gratitude can reduce chronic pain. It sounds almost too good to be true, but various studies on the physical effects of gratitude are proving this. The Journal of Health Psychology published one such study where participants who expressed gratitude reported less inflammation, fatigue, and anxiety. Also, the mental benefits of practicing more appreciation and positivity reduce physiological stress in the body... a significant cause of chronic pain.


Simply having gratitude improves our sleep. Whether it’s intrusive, anxious thoughts or chronic pain keeping you up at night, feeling grateful before bed can help. According to some studies... focusing on what you’re thankful for just a few minutes before bedtime can provide an extra 30 minutes of quality sleep. Relaxing our minds and reducing negative thinking calms the nervous system, allowing us to fully enter REM and get true restorative rest throughout the night.


Having gratitude helps us live mindfully and promotes exercise and healthy habits. How often are we totally lost in our busyness, daily tasks and work stress? Most of us would like to believe that we’re fairly positive and aware people... not according to the National Science Foundation which reports that out of our 12,000 to 50,000 daily thoughts, roughly 80 percent of these are negative! And negative thinking takes us out of the joys of the present moment. We lose focus on all the good things sitting right under our noses. Developing the ability to notice the beauty around us and being thankful for our current situation brings us back to the present moment. In this way, we can be more mindful of our words, thoughts, relationships, and choices.


People who regularly experience feeling grateful report less physical pain, and exercise more often. They display better self-care habits such as eating right and visiting the doctor. As you can see there are MANY benefits to living a life of gratefulness, but what does the word of God say?


The bible is filled with commands to give God thanks. One is found in Psalm 106: 1, "Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!"


This isn’t' something that he commands because God has this huge ego... it’s a father's loving reminder because giving thanks reminds us of how much we do have. Human beings are prone to focus on what we don’t have. By giving thanks continually, we are reminded of how much we do have. When we focus on blessings rather than wants, we are happier. When we start thanking God for the things we usually take for granted, our perspective begins to change... and the worries of our future go to His hands. We realize

that we could not even exist without the merciful blessings of God.


1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We are to be thankful not only for the things we like, but for the circumstances we don’t like. When we purpose to thank God for everything that He allows to come into our lives, we keep bitterness at bay. We cannot be both thankful and bitter at the same time. We do not thank Him for evil, but that He is sustaining us through it. As James 1:12 attests to, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." We thank Him for His promise that “all things will work together for the good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)


We can have thankful hearts toward God even when we do not feel thankful for the circumstance. We can grieve and still be thankful. We can hurt and still be thankful. We can be angry at evil/sin and still be thankful toward God. That is what the Bible calls a “sacrifice of praise”. Giving thanks to God keeps our hearts in right relationship with Him and saves us from a host of harmful emotions and attitudes that will rob us of the peace

God wants us to experience.


I would encourage you to live a life of gratitude daily. When we do, we will not only be healthier mind and body, but in SPIRIT... and see the goodness of God in our lives. We will watch him move in ways we never thought were possible.


HAPPY THANKSGIVING


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