Thankfulness Makes You Healthier and Happier
Being grateful is linked to being more of a happy individual.
Dopamine and serotonin, the “happy” hormones, are released in our brains when we voice our thankfulness and when we receive gratitude from others as well.
And there are even studies on couples that reveal that those who were thankful towards one another had long lasting and happy relationships (which applies to long lasting friendships as well).
It has been discovered that gratitude increases positive thinking and helps create new neural connections to the bliss centre of the brain (much like antidepressants are meant to do).
Being grateful repeatedly over time keeps our focus on what is going right in our lives rather than what is wrong.
Don’t you just love it when science catches up with the word of God!
During trying seasons in our lives, choosing to be thankful for what God is faithfully doing helps tremendously with our mindsets. It keeps us from being easily discouraged, helps us maintain a healthy mind and guards us from falling into a pit of despair and hopelessness.
Believe me when I share how I can relate to the difficulty of choosing gratitude when everything around you seems to be in shambles.
Voicing a thankful heart that does not feel fully thankful is hard at first, but over time our hearts begin to feel those emotions of pure gratitude helping us to soar above our storms.
Creating a gratitude journal, sending thank you notes to those that have blessed you, and sharing your thankful heart to the Lord throughout your day will help you establish a healthy habit that impacts you, your life, your walk with the Lord and your relationships.
Being thankful often and having this good healthy thinking habit also helps us become more resilient.
We will be able to bounce back from hardships quicker and possibly stronger because of our choice to be thankful.
Resilience is something the Lord encourages us to have. There are many verses in the Bible that encourage us to persevere, to hold onto faith, and to have courage and strength in Him. And there are also verses that instruct us to be thankful always, remembering God’s faithfulness and love for us.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Colossians 3:16
Be encouraged today to choose to be thankful more consistently, creating a habit of gratitude, and remaining steadfast, joyful and resilient in Him as a result.