Hello Natural Health Family. I hope everyone got outside and was able to enjoy the weather. Today I wanted to talk about the power of gratitude and why it’s not just something you should do as an activity but more to make it a part of your life. Of course I am not saying you have to do what I will talk about, but wanted to give some key points of gratitude or appreciation that may help someone reading this to see it in a different lens.
When we think of gratitude we may think of a feeling we get when we receive something from another person. Yes, that is one form of gratitude. However, you can be grateful for anything in your life. It may be the house you live in, the water you drink, the food you eat, etc. The feeling of gratitude is not just something that we feel every now and then. Gratitude plays an important part in the physiological aspects of the body. Studies show that when we think and feel gratitude it stimulates parts of the brain that send signals to other parts of the body that produce chemicals that enter our bloodstream. This may help with many key aspects such as a calming effect on our nervous system. This allows our bodies to function in a harmonious way which further leads to better health of the body.
Life may come with what we perceive as ups and downs. We tend to forget all the past trials and tribulations that we experienced that have got us here. If you think about a movie, the movie wouldn’t be as exciting if there wasn’t any drama. The only way to have some drama is to have the ups and the downs. Now I am not saying to indulge in all the drama out there but know that life may have some from time to time. When we are aware of that then we can see it as more of watching it for what it is rather than reacting to it. Then we can direct our attention to help ourselves and others to find areas in life to be more appreciative. It may be easy to get caught up in the mindset of what could go wrong but just like we said before, many of what seemed bad at the time was helpful for us to realize what we needed to do to get to where we are at now.
Of course there are times where it is easier to be grateful and times when it feels like nothing is going the way we want or thought it would go. However, if you make it like any skill then you may say that it requires practice especially in the tough times. Many people feel as though when they are able to get enough of something then they will be able to feel grateful. Well, If a person can’t be grateful now for things he or she has, what makes a person think he or she will feel better when getting something else.
Gratitude and appreciation just like anything takes a little practice at first. Just like a sports player that learns the basics and then doesn’t think about all the little details. Then they get better and are able to adapt to the unexpected happenings in the game they play. Life may be seen as a game and the more we appreciate and have fun with it the better we can play. Remember, when it feels like things are falling apart it may be that things are falling into place. Grateful for everyone and as always thanks for reading.
Dr. Chip
