Flourish Health & Wellbeing eMag - Sept25 - Flipbook - Page 37
Engaging in the prac琀椀ce of
gra琀椀tude has remarkable
advantages for both our
mental and physical wellbeing. It has the power to
increase our happiness,
amplify posi琀椀ve emo琀椀ons,
strengthen our connec琀椀ons
with others, alleviate
impa琀椀ence, and even
contribute to lower blood
pressure levels. What
makes this prac琀椀ce truly
incredible is its accessibility
and a昀昀ordability – prac琀椀cing
gra琀椀tude is o昀琀en e昀昀ortless
and doesn’t require any
昀椀nancial investment.
What is gratitude?
Gra琀椀tude is a profound and
transforma琀椀ve emo琀椀on that
involves recognizing and
apprecia琀椀ng the goodness and
posi琀椀ve aspects of life. It is the
act of expressing thanks and
acknowledging the value and
kindness received from others
or the world around us. At its
core, gra琀椀tude is a mindset
that shi昀琀s our focus from what
is lacking to what is present
and worthy of apprecia琀椀on.
Gra琀椀tude goes beyond simply
saying “thank you.” It involves
cul琀椀va琀椀ng a genuine sense of
apprecia琀椀on and recognising
the blessings, big or small, that
enrich our lives. It is about
no琀椀cing the acts of kindness,
the suppor琀椀ve rela琀椀onships,
the opportuni琀椀es for growth,
and the simple joys that we
o昀琀en take for granted.
When we prac琀椀ce gra琀椀tude,
we cul琀椀vate a posi琀椀ve
outlook and a greater sense
of contentment. It helps us
昀椀nd ful昀椀llment in the present
moment and strengthens
our resilience in the face of
challenges. Gra琀椀tude allows
us to shi昀琀 our perspec琀椀ve
from a mindset of scarcity
to abundance, reminding us
of the abundance of love,
support, and opportuni琀椀es
that surround us.
Why practice gratitude?
In research into posi琀椀ve
psychology, gra琀椀tude is strongly
and consistently associated with
greater happiness.
Mul琀椀ple studies, including
one done by psychologists Dr.
Robert A. Emmons and Dr.
Michael E. McCullough, have
consistently rea昀케rmed the
posi琀椀ve impact of gra琀椀tude.
In their research, par琀椀cipants
were assigned weekly wri琀椀ng
exercises with speci昀椀c themes.
One group was instructed
to re昀氀ect on and express
gra琀椀tude for things they were
thankful for during the week.
Another group focused on
documen琀椀ng daily annoyances
or sources of displeasure,
while a third group wrote
about events that had
in昀氀uenced them without any
emphasis on their posi琀椀ve or
nega琀椀ve nature.
A昀琀er a span of 10 weeks,
the 昀椀ndings revealed that
individuals who prac琀椀ced
gra琀椀tude through their wri琀椀ng
exhibited greater levels of
op琀椀mism and overall life
sa琀椀sfac琀椀on. Remarkably, they
also demonstrated a higher
inclina琀椀on towards physical
exercise and reported fewer
visits to medical professionals
compared to those who
昀椀xated on sources of irrita琀椀on.
Prac琀椀cing gra琀椀tude doesn’t just
boost our moods, it also helps:
