As
I have been studying health, it becomes clear that our attitude affects
our health. One of those attitudes is gratitude. I am taking most of
this from an article in Spark People by Ellen G. Goldman. She describes
attitude as a “personality strength. If you possess a high level of
gratitude, you often feel an emotional sense of wonder, thankfulness and
appreciation for life itself.” President Hinckley defines gratitude
this way, “When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance
and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is
becoming to you and will bless your lives”.
Gratitude
is good for your health. Quoting Goldman, “Individuals who exhibit the
most gratitude are happier, healthier, and more energetic. Grateful
people report fewer symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, nausea,
even acne, and spend more time exercising! And the more a person is
inclined towards gratitude, the less lonely, stressed, anxious and
depressed he or she will be.”
She
list for things to help in practicing gratitude: Keep a gratitude
journal; Express your gratitude; Look for what is right about a
situation; and Practice gratitude with your family and friends. As I
look at these four goals, I see some room for self improvement. I think
the last is the area which would make the most difference in my life.
If I could practice gratitude with my family, I think it would create a
much better atmosphere around home. However, gratitude can be a habit
of politeness, rather than an attitude of gratitude. By this I mean,
expressing thanks, without the feeling of gratitude behind it, will not
suffice. I think people can see when you are being false. So the key
is to actually feel grateful.
My
mother use to always quote the hymn, “Count Your Blessings” whenever I
was getting down. Sometimes it pays to stop and count blessings, really
enumerate what is right in your life.
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