The meaning of gratitude
What does it mean to be grateful and why it has to be part of your self-care arsenal? As with most things in life, people probably have different opinions but let me share mine. Of course, I would have to start with being in good health is something that I never take for granted, especially after all the abuse I had subjected my body to over the last few decades. But besides the obvious what else am I so grateful for? I tell you what it is. Look at the image above. Doesn’t look like anything special, doesn’t it? It’s just a faucet right? Not in my eyes. I am absolutely amazed and so grateful for having the luxury of getting up every morning and only having to take 10 steps to the source of all life and that is water. Have you ever been grateful for your faucet? If you haven’t, then it’s time to be. I don’t have to walk 5 miles over 2 hills every day to fill up 2 buckets and carry them back to the village, I don’t have to boil it so I won’t get sick (at least not yet) and I don’t even have to heat it if I need it warm like billions of people have to do daily. But some take a luxury like water for granted and never even consider it something special. The day we all do is the day this world will be a better place.
Why it is important to be grateful
Being grateful is important for our own individual well-being and a functioning society as a whole. Being grateful is knowing you have enough and whatever comes extra is just a cherry on top. And the same goes for societies. If governments were more grateful for what the earth provides, they would protect our environment and necessary resources like water and air much better. And if individuals would practice more gratitude we wouldn’t have to worry about ungrateful people in powerful positions
The health benefits of gratitude
As the title suggests, gratitude is something worth practicing if you value your own well-being. I think it’s safe to say that we all have an incling of the graciousness of gratefulness and how it makes you a calmer and more at peace type person, but gratitude has actually been studied and our suspicions have been validated. Here is a short summary from a variety of studies.
Advantages of being grateful:
- More consistent happiness
- Lower blood pressure & decreased inflammation due to a slowing effect of neurodegeneration
- Fewer aches, pains and headaches
- Reduced depression and enhanced optimism
- Healthier sleep patterns
- More regular exercise & self-care routines
- Improved heart function & rhythm
- Better overall health
Daniel Florian
