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]

Grateful for weekends spent in Rocky Mountain National Park.  And the crockpot that cooked dinner for us while we goofed off in our beautiful back yard.

Photo: Natezeman.com

[Epster]

Grateful for good health. And snow covered mountains. And snowshoes. And free days at Rocky Mountain National Park. 

[Epster]

Grateful for snowshoes, snowy mountains, sunlight and the will to put it all together in one fun calorie burning outing. 🙂

[kimjeffbill]

So very grateful to live in the Pacific Northwest.

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@Epster wrote:

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."

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[Epster]

Grateful for brilliant sunrises and dramatic sunsets. But mostly the sunrises. 🙂

[Epster]

Grateful to be able to walk with DH, who seamlessly offers anthropomorphized running commentary relative to migrating waterfowl along the way.

[Epster]

Grateful for the beauty of a big moon rising over a snow-covered hillside.

[Epster]

Grateful for the beauty of a snow-covered everything.

[Epster]

Grateful for occasional 6,000 calorie burning workout blitzes amongst my usual workouts (and how they help make me stronger).

[Epster]

Grateful for cycling milestones. 

[Epster]

Grateful for a health conscious DH ... even when he suggests we try to get in a 100 mile trike ride in November. 

[Epster]

Grateful for music's ability to sooth a battered soul.

[Epster]

Grateful for the Susan G Komen Foundation that is helping a friend receive the breast cancer treatment she needs.

[Epster]

Grateful for the forecast: 70 degrees and plenty of sunshine! Yes!

[Epster]

Grateful for friends with plans. 

[Epster]

Beyond grateful for the senior athletes in my life.

[Epster]

Grateful for what setting goals has done for my life.

[Epster]

Grateful for the sunshine that shall be upon us in t-180 minutes, give or take.

[Epster]

Grateful for whatever forces are at play, causing me to spot check the Rewards for Good earnings page for surprise bonus points. This morning that goofy habit earned me an additional 4,300 points. Rah!

[Epster]

Grateful for weather that's forcing me to tend to indoor projects. 

[Epster]

Grateful for this last gorgeous fall day before the --brrrrrrrrr --snowstorm.

[Epster]

Grateful for engaged, engaging people. Your energy is contageous!

[Epster]

Grateful that yesterday's weather report was wrong. Instead of the expected stay-inside-and-batten-down-the-hatches 35-45 MPH wind day, we and a mild, nearly windless sunshiny day in which we got in a 5 mile walk and a 21 mile trike ride (over a new trail, to boot). 

Might send that weatherman a balloon bouquet!

[Epster]

Grateful to be at home in the country,  to adore all things rural.

[Epster]

Good gracious! Grateful for this week of incredibly beautiful weather.

[Epster]

Grateful for options. Don't like it? Change it!

[Epster]

Grateful for recumbent racing friends ... and our wild hopes and dreams! 🙂

[Epster]

Despite the ugliness in this world, I'm grateful that there is still rampant beauty: beautiful hearts, gorgeous minds, loving souls and helpful attitudes.

And hey! It's  F A L L!  Go look outside, wouldja? 🙂 Beauty, beauty everywhere! 🙂

 

[Epster]

Grateful humans can employ deductive reasoning. (No slight meant to inductive reasoning. :))

[Epster]

Grateful for the splendor of autumn. Mesmerizing beauty is everywhere.