It’s true! The healing power of thankfulness!
The Healing Power of Thankfulness
One of the healthiest things you can do for yourself is to be thankful. This isn’t surprising since we humans have been told to be thankful for thousands of years. The Bible is full of mandates for thankfulness. Here are just 2 of them:
- It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. Psalm 92:1 (KJV)
- Enter his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise, be thankful unto him and bless his name. Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)
How is thankfulness healing for us?
Studies usually define gratitude as thankfulness. Sometimes it is easier for my coachees to describe thankfulness than gratitude. So we will discuss thankfulness in light of the gratitude research being done by the Greater Good Center at University of California Berkeley.
Researchers there have found that people who daily write what they are thankful for to experience:
- Stronger immune systems and lowered blood pressure
- Higher levels of positive emotions
- More joy, optimism and happiness
- More generosity and helpful behavior toward others
- Feeling less lonely and isolated
That sounds like a win-win! God says to be thankful and when we do, look at all the benefits!
Here are some thankfulness activities to try:
- Keep a simple gratitude list. Hand write it in a journal or notebook. You will soon find that you need to notice more things that are good, true or beautiful in order to keep the journal lively. This is good!
- Try the 3 Good Things exercise from Dr. Martin Seligman at University of Pennsylvania.
- Try this exercise: What would my life be like without? Spend about 15 minutes imagining what your life would be like if you didn’t have things like: your job? electricity? food? a significant relationship? etc.
- Write a thank you letter and deliver it.
You can come up with lots of ways to practice thankfulness.
When you are ready to increase the goodness and thankfulness in your life, life coaching is a good first step. Contact me for life-changing coaching via Skype, phone or in person.
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