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Thanksgiving highlights the benefits of gratitude

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Thanksgiving highlights the benefits of gratitude

Dr. David Perlmutter is a practicing Neurologist and Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. But when asked for his top health tips, his answer had nothing to do with diet and everything to do with GRATITUDE. Dr. Perlmutter considers gratitude "the most healthful experience" that humans can have. Here are 5 really good reasons to develop an attitude of gratitude.

The 5 Benefits of Gratitude:

1. Gratitude makes you happier.

No matter where you fall on the happiness spectrum, expressing gratitude can make you feel happier by creating a surge of feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.

2. Gratitude creates better relationships.

Being grateful can help you make and keep friends, and strengthen relationships of all kinds. Gratitude helps you connect and empathize with others. It's been called the glue that holds couples together.

3. Gratitude makes you a better person.

Being grateful can make you an all-around nicer, more likable person. Grateful people are more sensitive, less self-centered, less materialistic, and have higher self-esteem.

4. Gratitude makes you healthier.

Feeling and expressing gratitude can make you healthier. It reduces stress and increases emotional resilience. It can even help you live longer.

5. Gratitude makes you more successful.

Whether you are an employee, entrepreneur, or business owner, gratitude can make you more successful and productive. It can help you understand and relate to your customers, co-workers, bosses, and clients.

How to Get Better at Being Grateful:

The ability to express gratitude doesn't always come easily, but it is a skill that anyone can learn.

The first step is to pay more attention to life and the people around you.

It’s hard to be grateful for something or someone you do not notice!

A common way of expressing gratitude is by journaling -- writing down the things you are grateful for.

But sharing grateful thoughts with others is even better.

This benefits both you and the object of your gratitude.

Call, text, email, or put pen to paper to thank someone for an act of kindness, words of encouragement, or any other “gift” you’ve received from them.

When expressing gratitude, be as specific as possible.

A University of Southern California study found that those who expressed their feelings in detail reported feeling more energetic, happy, alert, and excited than those who dealt in generalities.

Reflect on Gratitude:

Here is a beautiful quote from Melody Beattie, author of Codependent No More:

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

These are wonderful thoughts to reflect on any day, but particularly on our national day of gratitude.

We so appreciate all of you! Happy Thanksgiving!

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bhanjois72
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Fruitandnutcase profile image
Fruitandnutcase

Happy Thanksgiving to you too.

Couldn't agree more about gratitude. Thanks for posting.

There's a saying 'Life's not about getting what you want, it's about wanting what you've got'. That to me is gratitude.

I always think in life there will always be people who are richer (and not just in financial terms) than I am and others who are poorer.

Happy Thanksgiving

bhanjois72 profile image
bhanjois72 in reply to Fruitandnutcase

Thanks for the nice saying