We know Thanksgiving is still a few weeks away, but increasing gratitude is something that can be key to both your mental and physical health. It’s not difficult to integrate, it costs nothing, and it can make a big difference. Read on as we discuss some of the research that points to its benefits and provide some quick tips on how to practice it!

According to a quick online search, gratitude is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” It can be a state or a trait; it can take the form of a general disposition (how you generally see things), an emotional response to a specific event, or a mood. Many of us already have a place for gratitude in our lives on a daily or weekly basis, but for those of us who are newer to the idea, it might be interesting to hear more about why you might want to increase gratitude in your daily routine.

Gratitude is considered to be important source of human strength and has received an increasing amount of empirical research attention over the past few decades. Mental health encompasses both the absence of psychopathological symptoms, as well as the presence of well-being. Overall, gratitude interventions have generally been shown to contribute to both reducing illbeing and increasing well-being, pro-social behavior, and upstream reciprocity.

In addition to these mental health benefits, it might surprise you to learn that something as simple as journaling with a gratitude focus has been shown to decrease inflammatory biomarkers. A recent systematic review of 19 research studies of gratitude interventions showed that subjective sleep quality was improved in 5/8 studies. Improvements in blood pressure, glycemic control, asthma control and eating behavior were less frequently studied across the literature, but also demonstrated improvements.

With all of this positive impact, you might be wondering how to increase gratitude in your own life. Here are some tips, based on three really commonly used ways to induce gratitude. The first, which we mentioned just above, is to journal or write on a regular basis about things, people, and events that you feel explicitly grateful for. Another idea is to write a letter addressed to someone who you are grateful for in life, but who you never properly thanked. You can read it aloud for impact, but generally that letter stays undelivered. Finally, naming three things you are grateful for at the end of the day (and repeating this) can be helpful. If you are inspired, for each of the three things, think about how you might give yourself some credit for bringing about those things that are now making you thankful.

Cheers to looking around ourselves, and noticing things to appreciate. Here at Beacon PT, we couldn’t do what we do without all of you. We love helping you get back to doing the things you love – during this month of gratitude, and beyond!