How the Power of Gratitude Can Change Your Life

To have a healthier heart we must relax and learn to value the little things and value what we have in its rightful measure. Lao Tzu left us a phrase that should make us reflect: 'gratitude is the memory of the heart'. The power of gratitude is something that is often neglected in our day to day. Sometimes, we take things for granted and we stop to think about the value that many of the aspects that surround us surround us.

When we speak of gratitude we are not referring only to courtesy behaviors, such as giving thanks after an action someone performs for us. It is a dimension that goes beyond. It is to open our conscience to thank the simple fact of being well, to have a good family, to enjoy that walk in the mountains, on the beach.

People who know how to express gratitude externally and internally are healthier people who enjoy their well-being because they work their positive emotions. Let's see it in more depth in this article.

1. Gratitude is Not Only for Good Times

People tend to fall into a very common mistake and we almost do not realize it: we only give thanks when something is done for us, or when we receive something positive. Gratitude or gratitude should not be reserved exclusively for the accumulation or obtaining of 'things':

To express gratitude is to offer recognition. 'I recognize you because I know you have tried something to help me, to bring me happiness and well-being.' However, this gratitude does not necessarily have to be addressed to others... And if from now on you also recognize yourself? A simple exercise capable of raising our self-esteem is to recognize everything we do, is to offer gratitude for being strong people who look to life with hope.

Now, gratitude also has its importance in bad times. How? It offers strength and motivation. We will give you a very illustrative example: Imagine that your partner has disappointed you in something and that the relationship is broken. The pain is terrible, there is no doubt. However, there are many things you can continue to thank life, such as finding strength in each moment to overcome that loss, thank you for having a family and friends who will support you, and thanks for being as you are, a woman that deserves to be happy again.

2. Gratitude Improves Our Health

According to a study published by the American Psychological Association (APA), the simple act of recognizing ourselves and others, and giving thanks for the positive aspects of life, offers a mental and physical improvement, capable of preventing various problems heart. The author of this research is a doctor named Paul J. Mills, of the University of California, San Diego (USA), who also disseminated his knowledge in Newswise magazine. The conclusions reached were the following:

• Gratitude and positive emotions

The power of gratitude is related in many cases with spirituality, however, we should all take into account the importance of positive emotions in our day to day. It does not matter what we believe in or whether we are religious. The most remarkable thing is knowing how to appreciate ourselves and others without rancor, without anxieties, without pressure.

• Gratitude and heart health

The mental well-being and the simple fact of being a part of this life, offers many patients great improvements that can be seen in their blood pressure and their biomarkers, which are related to cardiovascular system processes.

A person who takes life with tranquility, with balance, who knows how to appreciate the little things and who enjoys himself and his family, has a healthier heart and also has less problems of heart failure, such as shortness of breath or fatigue. Dr. Mills also explains that, to carry out this study, several psychological tests were applied to 500 patients, to find out if those people who valued the power of gratitude and who expressed it every day differed from those who did not have consider this aspect.

Guess what the results were? The more spiritual or gratifying patients had no symptoms of depression, the quality of their sleep was very good, they presented less fatigue and, in addition, their inflammatory markers regarding their heart health were within the parameters of normal.

In conclusion, we can say that the simple act of expressing gratitude and recognizing ourselves and this life of which we are part helps us to have a stronger health. Gratitude is an expression of love, an attitude to practice and with which to give more importance to positive emotions, those that always give strength to our health and establish a very appropriate link between body and mind. Why not put it into practice? Why not value the power of gratitude a little more? Worth it!

Write a thank you journal. It's about dedicating about 5 minutes a day to reviewing all the good things you have in your life.

Think about the things you have and appreciate having them. Life brings that in which you fix your attention. This is a habit that I have incorporated into my morning routine for years.

Each day I dedicate several minutes to focus on the wonderful people around me, in small details such as the taste of that coffee, the smile of my children when they wake up and that fills me with happiness.

Believe me is one of those exercises that condition you to have a wonderful day.