In our discussions about living our life with a positive attitude, we have looked at ways to increase our positivity. Of course we know that the thoughts and feelings we have and the way that we speak to ourselves affects how we feel during the day and our behaviors. Just as important though is our willingness to be a good finder and look for people, events and things that we have been provided to be thankful for.
Do we have an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE?
In a study in 2003 by Emmons, R. A. & McCullough, M. E. (2003) Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well being in daily life, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 84: 377-89. they showed that those that wrote down 5 things every night that they were grateful for had the following results:
- getting more hours of sleep
- less time spent falling asleep
- waking feeling more refreshed
- fewer symptoms of physical illness
Other studies have shown a 23% decrease in cortisol – often referred to as the stress hormone – and we all understand the havoc stress plays on our body and attitude. Making it a practice to recognize, journal and express our gratitude will be beneficial to our health and our day.