Health and Well-Being: More Effective than Any Drug

“If [thankfulness] were a drug, it would be the world’s best-selling product with a health maintenance indication for every major organ system.” Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Well that’s saying a mouthful! So just being thankful regularly can impact how healthy you are? Well, perhaps this is why we are commanded in scripture to give thanks in all circumstances (which is very different from giving thanks “for” all things – but that’s another post altogether).

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Amp.: “Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].”

I did a post not too long ago about how to train your brain to be more positive by focusing on gratitude. Well if you began the habit of writing down several things you are grateful for each day, here are some of the benefits you are reaping:

Better ability to cope with stress

Experience more positive emotions and less anxiety

More peaceful, restful sleep

A healthier heart

But that’s not all. Gratitude has been shown to have measurable, positive effects on bodily systems, including:

Mood neurotransmitters (serotonin and norepinephrine)

Reproductive hormones

Inflammatory and immune systems (cytokines)

Social bonding hormones (oxytocin)

Stress hormones (cortisol)

Blood pressure, cardiac and EEG rhythms

Blood sugar

Prayer is one of the absolute best ways to practice gratitude daily! If you spend any time each day in prayer, begin with thanksgiving. We are told to enter God’s presence with thanksgiving. (Ps. 100:4) It’s a beautiful way to begin your day. If you practice it daily it will become your natural way of thinking, speaking and responding to circumstances!

Ephesians 5:4 in The Message says: “…Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don’t talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect.”

Do you intentionally practice gratitude daily?

Want to see more articles like this?   Subscribe to this blog (just click on “Follow”) and get each new post delivered to your email or feed reader.  To follow me and get even more tips on how to live your life in 3-D as well as getting exclusive information on giveaways and special offers, be sure to like me on Facebook, sign up for my FREE weekly No-Nonsense Nutrition Report, follow me on Pinterest and Twitter!

Make gradual changes. Boost health, vitality and energy. Become your best YOU.

Advertisement