Gratitude Is The Key To Happiness ‘Say Thank You’

Gratitude is the key to unlocking true happiness. If you can’t be thankful for what you have, even if you aren’t where you want to be yet in life, it will be harder for you to feel inner peace when you get to the mountain top.

Thank you goes such a long way. I recently learned this lesson myself about three years ago. For two years I have been keeping a ‘Gratitude’ journal and the results have been astonishing.

Everyday I wake up and one of the first things I do is open my journal and write down three things I am grateful for that day. When you start your days off being thankful it helps you deal with what ever life throws your way.

Science Behind Gratitude

Don’t buy into what I’m saying, that’s fine with me I’m walking proof that it does work. Feeling thankful for what you already have is a very powerful concept that’s backed by science.

Research has discovered that feeling and expressing gratitude towards others can have tangible positive effects. It’s been shown to improve interpersonal relationships, trust, and emotional support.

In 2013 research published in Personality & Individual Differences noted that gratitude my have positive health effects as well. The practice of gratitude gets individuals into a positive mindset. I know it has helped me in many ways. It motivated me to exercise more often, eat foods that are more nutritious, and it helped me deal with stressful situations better. Meditating has also helped immensely with that, but that’s another topic for another day.

The psychological power that comes from gratitude is my favorite part of it. It can physically change how our brains operate. In 2016 a study published in Neuroimage found practicing gratitude for three months changed the brains activity.

In 2015, Frontiers in Psychology showed gratitude causes activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, this area helps to regulate our emotions.

Dr. Sirois Helps Us Understand

“Gratitude helps people shift their attention to the positive when they are dealing with a negative and stressful situation.” “Doing so means you spend less time focusing on your difficulties. Being grateful also means taking a look at the big picture.”

Like I stated earlier I have been practicing gratitude daily for almost three years now and my life is significantly better. I suggest everyone give it a try, its easy to start get your self a small hand held notebook and a nice pen. Either start your day with 3 things you are grateful for or end your day with 3 good things that happened to you during the day.

IMUer’s try it out let me know how it works for or let me know your thoughts in the comments section. Until next time stay grateful my friends gratitude is the key.

(Cover image courtesy of Pixabay.com, video courtesy of YouTube, source Myself and Bustle)