We often hear the phrase “the power of gratitude”. But do you know exactly what that power is? Once you do, you’ll be eager to harness that power for yourself and see how it can change your life.
The power of gratitude.
Maybe you’ve heard your friends tell you about the power of gratitude for years and how it’s changed their life. But if you’re the type who needs research to back things up, don’t worry, there’s plenty!
Gratitude is an increasingly popular research subject.
Take one 2017 study from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. The 293 participants were divided into three groups: one that was instructed to write a letter of gratitude to another person each week for three weeks, a second group that was asked to write about their deepest thoughts and feelings about negative experiences, and a third group that didn’t do any writing activity. In addition to these activities, each group also received counseling.
The results at the end of the study were incredible. Ultimately, they found the group who wrote letters of gratitude had significantly better mental health by the end of the 12 weeks.
There are countless other studies that find the same results, time after time.
Gratitude changes your brain.
What are some of the thought patterns that have been present in your life? Maybe you’ve always told yourself you’ll never be thin enough, pretty enough, or good enough. Perfectionist Patty, anyone?
These consistently negative thought patterns have a profound impact on our self-esteem. Over time, we begin to believe the things we tell ourselves.
Overcoming negative self-talk is something I’m passionate about, both for myself and the women I work with.
In this blog post from last year, I shared three tips for more positive self-talk.
The first step was to practice gratitude by starting each day by being thankful for at least one thing about your body. For many women, this feels unnatural and awkward at first. But over time, the power of gratitude can have an incredible impact on your self-esteem, your self-talk, and your overall mood and well-being. Yes—gratitude can change your brain!
We talk about the power of gratitude, but when you consider the impact it can have on your life, it’s safe to say gratitude is actually a SUPERpower.
Gratitude exercises.
At Shaping Perspectives, we’re no strangers to gratitude exercises to help you harness the power this concept can have on your life.
In addition to the morning gratitude practice we just discussed, I’ve also shared how to build your own gratitude toolbox.
It involves eight steps:
- Start a gratitude journal.
- Write a thank you letter to someone who positively impacted your life.
- Visit someone who is or has been special in your life, to say “thank you” in person.
- Write a thank-you letter to a body part.
- Say a gratitude meditation at the end of the day.
- Saying thank-you at mealtime (saying grace), thanking the food you eat.
- Say thank-you in the mirror.
- Create a daily ritual gratitude practice.
You probably noticed there’s a lot of saying thank-you involved in gratitude practices. I’ve also written about how saying thank-you can impact your weight. Seriously!
Another one of gratitude’s powers is counteracting the stress response—a response that can lead to weight gain. In fact, research has shown that regular practice of gratitude comes with many health improvements.
An invitation.
I hope that by reiterating the power of gratitude and the impact it can have on your mental and physical health you’ll see why THIS is the year to harness it.
Now is the time to watch how gratitude can transform your life.
I invite you to start with creating even one component of the gratitude toolbox. Maybe tonight before you go to bed, you’ll meditate on what you’re grateful for. Or, tomorrow morning you’ll start the day by thanking your body for what it does for you each day.
I can’t wait to hear what the power of gratitude does for your life.
How do you plan on practicing gratitude today? Please share with us on the Diet-Free Sisterhood Facebook page.
Are you ready to talk more about your gratitude journey? Click here for a free chat.
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9 Steps to Ultimate Self-Acceptance
