This year, make a New Years resolution to promote self-care: celebrate gratitude! Gratitude, if practiced regularly, can keep you healthier and happier. Studies show expressing gratitude can reduce anxiety, help you sleep, and and improve your overall wellbeing—all important things for survivors of violence or those supporting victims. Gratitude is good for you, and luckily it is something each of us can cultivate in ourselves. Try a gratitude journal or jar. At the end of each day, write down one thing for which you’re grateful—no matter how large or small—reflect on it a moment and put it in a jar. Soon your jar will fill with evidence of the good things in your life and will help develop a mindset of positive perception! Having a bleak time? Read some slips from the jar to remind you of the things you appreciate and jump out of an overwhelmed mindset. Here are eight reasons to love gratitude: 1. It can make you happier! 2. It can reduce blood pressure 3. It makes hearts healthier 4. Its associated with better sleep 5. It helps people exercise more 6. It helps make veterans more resilient 7. It can help your relationship 8. Even a little bit helps: taking time to express gratitude just once per week was shown to increase positive emotions, optimism and wellbeing. So, even if you cant incorporate gratitude every day, its worth doing when you can! (8 reasons list from: tinyurl/qjttqx5)
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 19:00:03 +0000