It’s the New Year, and if you’re like most Baby Boomers or seniors, you’ll simply recycle the same ol’ resolutions. Exercise more, lose weight or eat better, right? That’s it–goals that eluded you last year become this year’s intentions. But isn’t that the very definition of insanity–doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results?
So this year, change it up! Resolve to do something over which you have complete control, is easy to track and can produce benefits almost instantly: show daily gratitude! Pausing to give thanks is documented to help us in both mental and physical ways.
Benefits of gratitude
Showing gratitude is as easy as acknowledging that you are thankful for who you are and what you have. The problem is, we often get busy and don’t stop to recognize the positive aspects of our lives. And we all have them! Sometimes they don’t fly out at us immediately, but we all have something for which we’re grateful (food on the table, the sun coming up, your dog or cat…).
Here are five ways taking time to show gratitude can help in our busy lives:
1. Improved sleep (and who doesn’t need that?)–Stopping to record items for which you’re grateful before you retire each night can help you sleep better.
2. Increased resilience–Being grateful may mitigate the harmful effects of negative events in our lives.
3. Improved health–Grateful people feel healthier and take better care of themselves.
4. Increased helpfulness–People who write daily gratitudes are kinder and more empathetic towards others.
5. Increased self-esteem–Expressing gratitude results in a greater sense of well-being, increased happiness and decreased depression.
How to harness the power of gratefulness
There are several ways to cultivate gratitude. For example, simply writing a thank-you note can make you feel happier.
But I’ve found the following method to be most helpful:
- Upon rising each day, write down one item for which you’re grateful. It could be a good night’s sleep, that first cup of coffee you’ll enjoy, or the view from your bedroom window. Taking the time to acknowledge something favorable early in the day can set your mental attitude in a positive direction.
- Before you go to bed, record three items you appreciate that occurred during the day. Again, these can be anything special to you–a walk you took with your spouse, a tasty dinner you prepared, or a day at the park with your grandchildren.
The key is to actively take the time to acknowledge things for which you’re grateful. Make this your new daily habit!
To discover other ways to improve your mental and physical fitness, give me a call!
We can discuss some practical tips and discover if any of my programs or classes are a good fit for you.
If you’d like to schedule that call with me, just CLICK THIS LINK, and let me know in the message that you would like a 1-on-1 call with me right away and I will be in touch to schedule that – oh, and leave me your phone number in there too since email is not as reliable as it used to be! Thanks.