Gratitude as a Health Tool

[Epster]

Gratitude can improve your life, and may even save it! No really. Dartmouth posted this web page on the importance of gratitude: http://www.umassd.edu/counseling/forparents/reccomendedreadings/theimportanceofgratitude/

Here’s a clip from that page:

"Researchers ... are turning their attention to the study of gratitude and its relationship to health and mental well-being. I will present some of their findings here to help us understand how gratitude is helpful and why it's important to our well-being.

People who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis have been found to exercise more regularly, have fewer physical symptoms, feel better about their lives as a whole, and feel more optimistic about their upcoming week as compared to those who keep journals recording the stressors or neutral events of their lives.

Daily discussion of gratitude results in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, energy, and sleep duration and quality. Grateful people also report lower levels of depression and stress, although they do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.

People who think about, talk about, or write about gratitude daily are more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or offered emotional support to another person.

Those with a disposition towards gratitude are found to place less importance on material goods, are less likely to judge their own or others success in terms of possessions accumulated, are less envious of wealthy people, and are more likely to share their possessions with others.

Emerging research suggests that daily gratitude practices may have some preventative benefits in warding of coronary artery disease."

[Epster]

This morning I am grateful for having been able, last evening, to take a bike ride along a lakeside path whilst the sun set behind the Rockies under a sky filled with tangerine cloud puffs. Seagulls to the left of me, clouds to the right, there I was: stuck in the middle of bliss.

[EveRH]

I am (don't laugh) grateful that American Pharoah won the Haskell Invitational race at Monmouth Park yesterday! He's brought so much interest to the sport, it was nice that his last big race brought him up a notch from Triple Crown winner, to Grand Slam status .. and his owner is a NJ resident.

I was at the track with my women's group on Saturday; annual plans for "Ladies' Day" made months before the racing season, and there was much more excitement than usual. Our group sponsored a race, and yours truly got to hand the trophy to the winning jockey:

[Epster]

Total awesomeness! Congrats! And you look fabulous!

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@EveRH wrote:

I am (don't laugh) grateful that American Pharoah won the Haskell Invitational race at Monmouth Park yesterday! He's brought so much interest to the sport, it was nice that his last big race brought him up a notch from Triple Crown winner, to Grand Slam status .. and his owner is a NJ resident.

I was at the track with my women's group on Saturday; annual plans for "Ladies' Day" made months before the racing season, and there was much more excitement than usual. Our group sponsored a race, and yours truly got to hand the trophy to the winning jockey:

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[EveRH]

I think I'm getting offline now too .. bad thunderstorm!

[retiredtraveler]

Ok. I'll bite.

  I'm grateful, although a better word might be 'lucky' or 'fortunate', that DW and I have planned and set goals for 40 years, then were able to achieve them, with no major setbacks. Things happen to people beyond their control that totally disrupt their lives. I'm grateful we had nothing major, and reached our goals.

   But I still think running a few miles a day, and weight lifting, is doing far more to stave off coronary heart disase than gratitude.

[Epster]

retiredtraveler wrote:

But I still think running a few miles a day, and weight lifting, is doing far more to stave off coronary heart disase than gratitude.

 -----------------------

Good one, traveler! (Seems you could be grateful for having good sense. )

I'm going to be offline a few days, so let me toss a bevy of extra thoughts of gratitude out there: I'm thankful for good health. May I one day also have good sense. 

I'm grateful for our national parks, our state parks, our bike trails and the time to enjoy them.

I'm grateful for friends and family to hang out with and the kind reception of strangers.

[retiredtraveler]

 "...I'm grateful for our national parks, our state parks, our bike trails and the time to enjoy them...".

  I'm hijacking the thread to say you have posted you're into hiking and outdoor activities. That's our motivation for maintaining health. You understand (it would appear) what it's like to do a hard hike and find yourself up at 8,000, 10,000, 12,000 or more feet with a view for 50+ miles. It's getting more difficult to do that, but we'll keep at it as long as we can.

   I'm grateful for continuing to be able to hike above treeline....

[Epster]

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@retiredtraveler wrote:

 "...I'm grateful for our national parks, our state parks, our bike trails and the time to enjoy them...".

  I'm hijacking the thread to say you have posted you're into hiking and outdoor activities. That's our motivation for maintaining health. You understand (it would appear) what it's like to do a hard hike and find yourself up at 8,000, 10,000, 12,000 or more feet with a view for 50+ miles. It's getting more difficult to do that, but we'll keep at it as long as we can.

   I'm grateful for continuing to be able to hike above treeline....

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Ah, you would have enjoyed our hike yesterday. 12 miles above 10,000. And at the top? (or at least our turnaround) A bald eagle soaring over a pristine alpine lake with water so blue-green clear you'd think it glass.

And today I am grateful for getting that *&^% tent back in to the bag! (hee, hee), finding a great location for our next wee jaunt, and that the broken sprinkler valve that sent water down our driveway (but not before flooding 1/2 the chicken yard) broke a mere 60 minutes before we returned home, and not, as might have been, 3 days ago. So yay!

Besides all that, I'm grateful for beautiful forests, incredible rock outcrops, the Rocky Mountains in general, and the wisdom of our great nation to set aside lands for recreation and wildlife preservation.

[EveRH]

I am grateful that I'm sort of winning the war against the aggressive vines, and have a relaxing morning at the hair salon! 🙂

[Epster]

I am grateful for the promise of renewal that comes packaged in each dawn, each early morning opportunity to reassess, redirect and reinvent! Let's go get 'em! Rah!

[EveRH]

I'm grateful that although I was diagnosed with breast cancer 11 months ago, the treatment was surprisingly not too bad. Although I had to give up my workouts for a couple of months, I'm regaining my strength now. I'm grateful for that, because I spent an hour in 90 deg. weather yesterday afternoon, and another 45 minutes this morning, cutting a terrible overgrowth of vines on my property .. and plan to go out again after lunch!

[Epster]

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@EveRH wrote:

I'm grateful that although I was diagnosed with breast cancer 11 months ago, the treatment was surprisingly not too bad. Although I had to give up my workouts for a couple of months, I'm regaining my strength now. I'm grateful for that, because I spent an hour in 90 deg. weather yesterday afternoon, and another 45 minutes this morning, cutting a terrible overgrowth of vines on my property .. and plan to go out again after lunch!

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This is fantastic news! Double hurrahs! 

[Epster]

Who wants to join me in creating an online Gratitude Journal? I’m thinking we can post a message of gratitude either daily, weekly, or as we are able, and all reap the benefits of one another's gratitude.

I'll start:

I'm grateful for coffee this morning. I'm also grateful for the numerous song birds outside my window.

[Epster]

Grateful that in the end truth always wins.

[Epster]

Grateful for the doers of this world. the inspiring, can-do achievers showing the way.

[Epster]

Grateful for good health and crazy hard workouts.

[Liz24]

I am thankful to be alive. As you get older you realize how lucky we are to wake up each day!

[sg3580207]

I am grateful for sunshine...it feeds me.

[hr2]

Hello, I too am grateful.I love my coffee early in the morning and I love my life most of all. I am a recent widow but am still grateful for all that I have.

[ll9027]

I'm soooo grateful for feeling good!

[Epster]

Gratefulness can change your moment from sad to happy, and it can improve

the course of your health, too. Therefore, we created this thread as a place to post a message, proclamation, statement, exclamation about gratitude. What makes you grateful? For what are you thankful?

Me?  This morning, I am grateful to be able to fix a breakfast including fresh organic eggs from the henhouse. And toast. Ummmmm, actual toast. Plus coffee with chicory. Yuuuuuum! (Our camp breakfast yesterday was a few chocolate covered espresso beans, cold oatmeal with dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and walnuts. That was tasty, and it got us on the road likkety-split, but this morning, I know I'll enjoy those eggs. Which, by the way, contain 50% less fat and cholesterol than store bought, have zero-to-no chance of having been contaminated in shipping and are beyond fresh. Weeee!) 

[Epster]

I am grateful for wilderness. Visiting these wild places feeds my soul and calms my spirit. 

[bw95562019]

i'm grateful my son, daughter and grand daughter arrived home safe last night from their trip to florida

[Epster]

Grateful for a good walking route upon which I often hear goats, horses, chickens, turkeys and cattle and see signs of bobcat, elk, deer, fox and raccoon.

[Epster]

Also grateful that I get to hit up a local bike trail for the first time in 8 days.

Need for speed, need for hard exercise, need for trail ... 

[Epster]

Grateful for the 250+ volunteers that came out to build a playground in our northern Colorado hometown yesterday.

If you build it, they will play.

[Epster]

Grateful for a beautifully mild weather forecast for the area and time of our next two recumbent races.

[Epster]

Grateful for clean air.

[alsae546594]

Hi, I'm Josh, a machine operator. Been suffering from drowsiness from work for weeks now and I'm worried my work gets affected by this. So I just wanna ask some suggestions on what I can drink to fight sleepiness and to keep me active all day? Thanks a lot for your answers.

[jf50435676]

Anything with caffein in it will keep you awake. Coffee, tea, or cola are your best bet.