Our already packed schedule is now asked to accommodate all the hustle and bustle the season demands. The promised joy is often invaded by stress and lack of self-care. This leads us to feel less than jolly.
If we take time to reflect, we are reminded of the gifts that we are given on a daily basis. How fortunate we are to have so much: a safe place to shelter us, the abundance of healthy food, a community with hearts united, a loving family. Is there a way we can remember all the blessings in the busyness of this joyous season, a way to enrich and honor our hearts? Try a helping of gratitude.
There was a recent study published, (we all love to have proof of what we do naturally) that showed that not just feeling but actually expressing gratitude alters biology and behavior. It can also improve cardiovascular strength, sleep quality and other common complaints.
How can gratitude do that?
There is something called Gratitude “interventions”.They are methods researchers use to determine how expressing gratitude may directly cause positive health effects. One study asked the participants to write down what they are grateful for each day in a “gratitude journal”. Several studies have concluded that keeping a gratitude journal improves physical health.
“A health behavior change is when someone that practices gratitude ends up engaging in more self-care behaviors or following the directions of their care providers more closely”
– Emiliano Simon-Thomas, Science director at UC-Berkeley, reported.
In 2015, a study of 119 women at the University College London found that just two weeks of keeping a gratitude journal improved sleep quality and decreased blood pressure.
Did this study just give you a wonderful idea for a Holiday gift? A one size fits all Gratitude Journal. And remember to gift one to yourself, too!
Have a blessed holiday season filled with joy and much GRATITUDE,
Om Shanthi,
Nischala Devi and Bhaskar Deva
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