Why Gratitude is Good For You

We spend a lot of our time thinking about gratitude and what it means, especially around the holidays.

The “Why Gratitude is Good For You” years of everyone’s life are focused on teaching our kids how to be grateful for meals, clothes, gifts, words of encouragement, and everything in between!

There’s more to expressing your gratitude for a good meal than just feeling better about yourself for a few minutes. That simple focus on gratitude has huge impacts on your physical, mental, and emotional health!

Behavior and Biology

Gratitude is rooted in your behavior and your actions. Those actions have a profound effect on your biology!

The way your body reacts when you express gratitude is focused on the release of oxytocin. When you engage with positive gestures, this hormone is released which helps you feel more connected to the people around you.

An increase in oxytocin buoys your mental and emotional health dramatically. The more connected you feel, the easier it is to cope when obstacles arise!

Gratitude and Physical Health

You might not think that gratitude has much of an impact on your physical health, but there are a lot of ways that it can impact your physicality.

As you increase your gratitude, it changes the way you see the world! Feeling happier and more fulfilled as you express your gratefulness makes it easier to get out and get active. And the more you get active, the happier you feel and you see an increase in your serotonin levels!

Gratitude and Emotional Health

We all end up facing more than our fair share of obstacles throughout our lives, no matter what the situation at home, school, or work.

What we do when facing those choices, defines us!

When things get tough, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Finding ways to be grateful and continuing to share that gratitude is an essential part of what helps us face adversity and overcome those obstacles!

Gratitude and Positivity

Learning to be more positive is an essential trait that we hone as we grow up and grow older! But as things become more difficult, it can be hard to keep up that positive attitude.

Even when you don’t feel like it, expressing gratitude to those around us fosters a feeling of positivity that is beneficial in every area of your life! As you become more positive, it becomes easier to see the good in the world and in those around you!

Takeaway

Gratitude and expressing your gratefulness to those around you has a profound impact on the way you experience the world! Not only does it help boost your emotional health, but it can also help you bring your physical health back in line as well.

A change in your behavior can mean a change in your biology! Simple changes like sharing the little things you’re grateful for can make a big difference.

There’s no reason to upset your whole life when making small, consistent changes do much more for your overall health!