Gratitude is the simple practice of being thankful. This little gesture is great in its impact as it not only benefits your physical and mental health, but plays an important role in your social relationships, emotional health and productivity. Following are some of the benefits of gratitude:
Gratitude helps your physical health
A rather surprising and profound impact of gratitude is improved physical health. People who are more grateful tend to suffer from lesser body aches and pains. Similar, as gratitude also teaches you to be grateful to your health, it thus makes you more conscious about taking care of yourself by eating well and exercising.
Moreover, gratitude also helps you to sleep better at night. Being disgruntled with life leads to suffer from greater stress. The composition of sleeplessness and stress aggravates your health and therefore mitigating it is important.
Many people write in their gratitude journal before bed for destressing and catching serene sleep. However, if that’s not helping you, talk to the best psychiatrist in Islamabad for treatment.
It makes you content
Naturally, when you focus on all the negatives, all the bad things and all the things you do not have, you get into the spiral of self-loathing and discontentment. Not only does it make you resentful to others, but also makes you bitter.
This leads you to ignore what you have and fixate on what’s missing; no one has a perfect life and ingratitude prevents you from enjoying the blessings you have.
On the other hand, those who are grateful, are more content. Their outlook is more optimistic as they focus on the good and thus are not weighed down by all the negativity in their lives.
Moreover, grateful people are also generally happier.
It helps you from overeating
A profound impact of gratitude is that it cultivates a stronger will power. It helps to discipline our impulse control, something when lacking, manifests in the form of overeating.
It helps you foster better relationships
Everyone benefits from positive vibes, that are characteristic of gratitude. When you acknowledge another person’s contribution to your life, you naturally signal them their importance. It also thus makes you less likely to take people and their service for granted.
Research has shown how when couples expressed their gratitude to their partner, not only did it improve their relationship by promoting the feeling of love, but it also strengthened their relationship. Partners also had an easier time talking about their concerns about the relationship, such deep is the impact of gratitude.
Moreover, gratitude also helps forge friendships. When you say “thank you” to another person, you are making a positive impact on them by appreciating their contribution. Hence, it can help you make new bonds and friendships.
It teaches you empathy
Empathy is an important emotion; it prevents from so many evils and helps to connect with others at the very basic humane level. People who are always dissatisfied, unsympathetic to other’s problems are not only a liability for the society but are hurtful as well.
Gratitude helps to counter these toxic traits. You rather than feeling entitled to something, are grateful for it. Moreover, grateful people are inherently kinder and more empathetic towards people. They are also more sensitive to others.
It makes you less aggressive
Always focusing on what you don’t have rather than being grateful for what you do have, has a tendency to fuel the aggressive tendencies. The disposition also turns surly; how come others have a thing but I don’t?
However, people who are grateful are much more focused on being thankful for what they have. Hence, rather than being angry and continuing with the litany of complaints, such people are calmer and happier.
Gratitude increases motivation
According to the research conducted at University of Pennsylvania, those employees who received acknowledgment from their managers for their services ended up performing better. Naturally, it is sort of invigorating to be acknowledged and be thanked for doing a job.
Consequently, employees get motivated to work better.
Gratitude helps prevent depression
It is not an exaggeration to call depression a debilitating disease. A perpetual condition, depression can be hard to manage and is extremely painful state to be in. It is thus vital to take steps to prevent this condition, and gratitude is amongst the things that should be done.
When we focus on the good and the positive, depression dissipates, and you become happier. Moreover, gratitude also helps to reduce stress, which then prevents depression. Gratitude also helps to curb suicidal thoughts as well.
However, if you are struggling still with your mental health, consult the best psychiatrist in Karachi for treatment.
Comments are closed.