A month of thankfulness.

I heard a quote today as I caught the tail end of  “The Doctors”.  I do not regularly watch this show, but when I am folding laundry, I have to watch something, and “Good Things Utah” was coming up next, so there you have it…  anyways, they were talking about the health benefits of being grateful.  They gave out a homework assignment to write down five things, everyday, that you are thankful for.  I decided to research, even more, what the benefits are to living a grateful life.
Some of the health benefits I found listed are:
- Lower blood pressure.
- Better sleep.
- Ability to heal faster.
- Decreased risk of heart attack.
- Less stressed.
One of the best things I read referring to being grateful:
“If you don’t do it regularly you’re not going to get the benefits..  It’s kind of like if you went to the gym once a year. What would be the good of that?”
Aren’t we kind of like that, as a society?  We have one day a year that is meant for celebrating what we are thankful for, and then it’s left to the rest of the year to just be, live life.
I loved this:
“Likewise, practicing gratitude affects your body, mind and spirit. Numerous recent studies support the health benefits of gratitude. Psychologically, grateful people are more positive, more satisfied with life, more vital and optimistic; these people tend to be less depressed and less stressed. Also, according to Dr. Phil House in the Billing’s Gazette article “Gratitude Can Improve Psychological Well-being,” grateful people are more empathetic and generous; less judgmental and materialistic; and generally more pleasant and joyful.
Physiologically, a less-stressed body is a healthier body with better immune function and healing capacity.”
Something else interesting I read was that we should set aside five minutes, twice a day, to recognize things that we are thankful for.
Is that a coincidence?  I think not!
There are many times a day that we pray in our home, many times I say personal prayers (silent or out loud) but find it no coincidence that we are encouraged to have personal prayers twice a day, as we start our day and as we end it.
In our prayers, we list the blessings which we are thankful for that day.
So, here I am, attempting to live a more grateful life…  not just for the happiness or health benefits, but to become a better person.  I will list one thing a day for this month, and hopefully it will become a habit!
Day One: 
I am thankful for a husband, no matter how tired, will stay up to talk with me about the things that are important to me, who is always there to love and encourage me, to give great advice too.
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” – William Arthur Ward
See these articles for more enlightenment:
Reader's Digest
Motivate Us
Goal Setting Guide
I really loved this.