Want to Boost Your Health and Happiness? Practice Daily Gratitude
With the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaching, we all know it’s a popular time to start counting your blessings. It’s the one day that many practice gratitude. Yet, why do it on just one day a year? In the hustle and bustle of life, we know it’s challenging to find the time. But there are compelling reasons to make the time to be grateful every day. Beyond recognizing all that is good in your life, here’s why the practice helps boost both your health and happiness.
Get A Positivity Boost
Get a blank notebook and turn it into a gratitude journal. Start by simply writing down a few things you are thankful for each day. According to a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, those who jot down what they are thankful for (daily) are more positive and have a brighter outlook on life than those who don’t.
Gain Better Sleep
In your efforts to improve sleep, you may have tried to pills, blue light filters, or cutting down on screentime at night. But according to a study in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, those who wrote down the things they are thankful for fell asleep faster and slept longer than those who didn’t. Both are good reasons to keep your gratitude journal handy on your nightstand.
Strengthen Your Immune System
Those who are grateful typically also have a better outlook on life. According to WebMD, optimistic people usually have significantly stronger immune health than those who are pessimistic. Think of it as a booster for your flu shot.
Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure
In addition to your morning oatmeal, being thankful can actually improve your vitals. Since cholesterol and blood pressure often rises as we age, it’s nice to be able to combat both with something other than drugs. Numerous studies have found that each can be diminished simply by practicing gratitude each day.
Improve Heart Health
But wait, there’s more! In a study conducted on heart disease patients, those who wrote down what they were thankful for each day showed decreased blood inflammation levels and improved heart rhythms. Those are big payoffs for such a simple task.
There are a lot of benefits that result from the daily practice of gratitude. And here at Harbor Club, we have so much to be thankful for. In fact, we think residents and members would be hard-pressed to run out of things to write in their gratitude journals! We’re very fortunate to be a Southern Living-Inspired Community where we all get to enjoy heart-warming gatherings, healthy amenities, and fantastic neighbors and friends. We’re looking forward to our annual Turkey Shoot Scramble golf tournament, the proceeds of which help seniors at the Greene County Senior Center enjoy turkey at their holiday luncheon. With so many family members in town for Thanksgiving, our neighborhood is a (happily) busy place. We’re thankful for every one of you and wish you well this holiday season, and beyond.