Feeling Thankful: 3 Tips to Boost Your Health and Recovery

November 10, 2016

The signs of Thanksgiving (and the holidays) on the horizon are everywhere. Signs in grocery stores advertise turkeys as coming soon, cranberries are readily available, and relatives are calling to solidify plans. Before you know it, you will be gathered around a table with friends and family alike, enacting a regular tradition—saying what you are thankful for from the year. But did you know that feeling gratitude can actually be beneficial to your health and overall recovery mechanisms?

According to the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences, individuals who experience greater levels of gratitude tend to feel less aches and pains while also feeling more healthy than comparison groups. In addition, individuals who were more likely to feel thankful tended to also exercise more regularly, sleep better in terms of quality and amount, commit and execute personal goals, and feel more content about their lives in general.

So how can you reap the benefits of a more thankful attitude? Like any athletic feat, it takes practice—and lots of it. A few tips to help you fortify your gratitude processes include:

#1. Keeping a journal to write down one thing you are thankful for per day.

Even if you have a day that may not be top-notch, you can still write down that you are thankful for a safe place to sleep, or even being grateful that you are able to write something in your journal after such a tough day.

#2. Be in the moment.

With so much happening, and to-do lists growing longer and longer, it is easy to get sucked into future plans and what needs to get done. However, taking the time to appreciate something small during the day may make you more grateful for many little things throughout your day. Did you enjoy spending some time with your spouse during the evening? Did the sky look particularly blue today? How nice was it that someone complimented you at the grocery store? Noticing small positives throughout the day can add up to major gratitude.

#3. Let others know what you are grateful for regularly.

A Thanksgiving meal is a wonderful place to say what you are thankful for, but it doesn’t have to be the only time of year that you share these sentiments. Share with your friends and family why they are important to you, and how small actions make a big difference in your life. The more you can appreciate, the more joy you may find in your daily life.

These simple steps may amp up the gratitude levels in your life, and allow you to reap the health benefits that accompany more thankfulness. Tune into next week’s Marc Pro blog to learn what our ambassadors are most thankful for from 2016.