What Does Gratitude Mean?
What Does Gratitude Mean?
Most families in Canada and the USA are preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving shortly. You may have a tradition of going around and having each person present at your gathering to share what they are most grateful for this year.
I think it would be very beneficial to practice gratitude every day and not just once a year. What does gratitude mean?
Gratitude means taking the time to feel appreciation for everything that you have been blessed with in life.
This includes everything that you consider good and challenging. The universe loves and guides us and therefore it is important to embrace the fact that life and challenged always happens for your benefit.
All the challenging moments that you experience help you learn lessons and grow so that you can serve your purpose in a bigger and better way.
Can Gratitude Help Depression And Anxiety?
Gratitude when practiced daily and consistently enhances our mood and makes it more likely for us to experience more positive emotions, makes us feel better and reduces feelings of depression and anxiety.
Does Gratitude Change Your Brain?
Practicing gratitude does rewire and change your brain which then leads to a more satisfactory and better life experience. Here are five ways that gratitude rewires and changes your brain.
Activates Your Hypothalamus
Gratitude activates a part of your brain called the hypothalamus which regulates your body functions. As a result, you will have a stronger immune system, experience less pain, and feel healthier both physically and mentally.
You will be better able to control your appetite and eat a more healthier diet that is vital and optimal for your body instead of overeating because you are suffering from emotional trauma and wounds.
You will have a better quality of sleep because the hypothalamus also controls your sleep pattern and the type of sleep you get.
You will experience a more restful and peaceful sleep. You will also experience your ideal, normal, and optimal growth pattern according to your age.
Changes Your Brain Pattern
You will experience changes in your brain pattern as your brain cells communicate and form new pathways when you practice gratitude regularly. Your brain can grow and change throughout your life due to neuroplasticity and it’s ability to form efficient new pathways to the bliss center.
Brain cells that continue to fire together will wire together and form new neural connections which will enable you to experience joy, natural high, and positive emotions faster and more often.
Enhances The Production Of Happy Hormones
Gratitude enhances the production of happy hormones called dopamine and serotonin. You feel a natural high and be in a good mood more often. You will decrease your chances of feeling anxious or depressed no matter what you are going through in your life.
You will feel happier and have a positive outlook and thinking because gratitude actually raises your energy and therefore you will be more aligned with your higher self and live your soul’s qualities which are peace, love, joy, and compassion.
You will feel more acceptance, compassion, and empathy towards other people. You will experience more meaningful, deeper connections and relationships with the people in your life.
Regulates Stress Hormones
Gratitude helps with the regulation of stress hormones so no matter how many challenging situations and stressors you may be going through in life you will be less likely to be affected by them.
If you have experienced any trauma in life and have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder you will feel its effects less.
Restructures The Brain And Cognitive Functioning
Gratitude also helps you restructure your brain for better cognitive functioning and as a result, you will feel good, positive, and hopeful about your life. It will also help you think good thoughts and experience more positive emotions.
In conclusion, you now know means taking the time to feel appreciation for everything that you have been blessed with in life.
This includes everything that you consider good and challenging because the universe loves and guides us and therefore it is important to embrace the fact that life always happens for your benefit.
The challenging moments help you learn lessons and grow so that you can serve your purpose in a bigger and better way.
You also know gratitude when practiced daily consistently will enhance your mood and makes it more likely for you to experience more positive emotions and will make you feel better and reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.
Gratitude rewires your brain and changes it, leading to a better life experience for you. Specifically, it activates your hypothalamus, changes your brain pattern, enhances the production of happy hormones, regulates stress hormones, and restructures your brain for cognitive functioning.
So, I hope you are now convinced that it is very important and beneficial to have a daily, regular gratitude practice and not just once a year at Thanksgiving. Here, are some suggestions on how to incorporate more gratitude into your life.
Make it part of your daily morning and evening routine. Start your day by naming all things that you can think of that you are grateful for as soon as you wake up and do that again every evening before you fall asleep.
Look at yourself in the mirror and think of all the things that you appreciate about yourself.
Go around the table when you are having dinner with your family and name things that you are all grateful for that happened that day or anything else.
Next, read what is positive thinking and living for further helpful tips and insights.