What is gratitude? Gratitude is the quality of being thankful. It is the readiness, to show appreciation for and to return kindness:

As the year comes to an end, it is time to reflect, to recall. Look inward and around you. What are you grateful for? What you remember however, will depend on how you see your cup, half full or half empty. Life is like a big picture puzzle, and we have a choice on the views and perspective we take. You can choose to see a life event as an opportunity to learn and grow or an obstacle that impedes progress and success. It can be a step or a stop. Though gratitude may not have been given much importance, scientific studies have shown that gratitude is one of the greatest factors that improve health, quality of life and general well being. Gratitude puts the odds in your favor no matter the event.

Please note that gratitude is not always easy or pleasant. many times, it must be deliberate. This is more so as there may be unpleasant events around us that leave no place for gratitude. For instance, how do you manage to say a heartfelt thank you to the wonderful medical team that cared for your loved one, when he or she still passed away. How do you show appreciation to your agent when the home still went on foreclosure?  How can you be grateful to the contractor when your business still folded up? How can you appreciate that relative that is so loud and pushy. You must be intentional, be able to manage expectations, and take delight in simple, mundane things.

Gratitude has a lot of health benefits. Some of them include:

1. Gratitude builds your self-esteem.

By taking delight in simple, mundane things of life, you are counting them as blessings. This habit makes you a happier person day by day. When you view the events that occur in your life as opportunities rather than obstacles, it builds your resilience. This is a significant benefit because it builds a positive personality. You measure yourself by what you have not want you don’t. By practicing gratitude daily, your self-awareness increases, and you can notice habits that make or mar you from creating a healthy life. This improves your overall quality of life.

2. Gratitude improves your mental health.

Positive emotions such as being grateful releases hormones (endorphins) that affect neurons in the brain and makes us feel good. Gratitude can change the molecular structure of the brain and keep grey matter functioning; boost neurotransmitter serotonin and activate the brain stem to produce dopamine, a part of the reward system in your brain. Dopamine is our brain’s pleasure hormone. Dopamine improves the mood and defends against pressures from burn out, stress, anxiety, and depression. The more we think positive, grateful, the healthier and happier we feel.

3. Gratitude boosts your physical health.

Where the mind goes, the body follows. The positive hormones help to boost immune system that defend the physical body. Physical and mental health are intricately connected. Notice how your head might aches, your stomach churns, and your heart races when you are worried, those who express gratitude had fewer headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and healthier hearts. People who are grateful are also more likely to pay attention to their physical health and heal quicker from health problems.

4. Gratitude can help you sleep better

Sleep is very important for healthy living. You are more likely to fall asleep and sleep more soundly when you are meditating on occurrences that you are thankful for rather than pondering over stressful events. Good sleep is essential for rejuvenating your body and mind and defending against illnesses such as hypertension, heart diseases and stroke. By taking time to think about good things that happen in a day can improve your mental health drastically and help you sleep better.

5. Gratitude increases your productivity.

When you are grateful, you release hormones that make you more enthusiastic and energized to do the things you need to do.  It helps you see positivity in opportunities and situations and therefore make profitable and productive decisions. Grateful people are more likely to build a successful career because they are more, they see advantages in adversarial situations.

6. Gratitude creates healthier relationships.

When we see good in others, we become more grateful for them. Life is about relationships, your social support network is a capital, an asset that improves the quality of life, physically, mentally, socially, and even financially; and by being just grateful for someone you can improve it.  One study showed that couples who demonstrated gratitude towards one another reported increased relationship satisfaction. Saying thank you, a simple note or few admiring words can impact positively on a relationship. You can say thank you to that agent at the counter even though they are just doing their job. You can say thank you to your child and spouse, they should not be taken for granted.

7. Gratitude leads to a less self-centered and more service-filled life.

Gratitude-Service is a virtuous cycle. When you are grateful for life, you are more likely to want to contribute to it. As you serve others, you become more significant; this makes you more valuable. This leads to being appreciated, that encourages you to do more. When you add value to others, you become more valuable.

Tools to help with being grateful.

Some tools to improve your “gratitude scale” include:

Reflection – Evoke the past, examine the present and envision the future. Reminiscing on memories of things that happened in the past, reviewing the present serve as reminders and gives hope for an optimistic, positive future, and this can make us more grateful.

Prayer – Faith has been proven to impact positively on health. Acknowledging the creator of the universe as your source of existence and being will evoke a sense of awe, wonder and appreciation and gratitude for life that brings about hope.

Journaling – Writing is powerful. Keep a record of things (tangible or intangible) that you are grateful for. A study showed that writing down thoughts you are grateful for is more impactful than just thinking about them.

Mapping – Putting quotes, stickers, images, pictures on boards, or walls around you as memories and reminders will boost your morale. When you look at them whether frequently or occasionally, it will redirect your focus and reset your mind positively.

Service and Volunteering – Someone once said, “The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.” How so true! The need for significance is at the topmost of human needs. And the way to be significant is to add value to others. Only valued items have significance.  Write a note, send a gift, or do something for someone; let them know they are valuable or how much they mean to you. Help those in need, and as you do, you prove that not only are they valuable, but that you are too!

So, I ask you again, look around and inwards, what are you grateful for?  1^st Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything, give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you”

Some of my favourite quotes on gratitude

1. The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.” – Paulo Coelho
2. “Whatever you appreciate and give thanks for will increase in your life.” …
3. “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” …
4. “It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude. …
5. “Gratitude can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”
6. The most powerful weapon against your daily battles is finding the courage to be grateful anyway.” – Unknown
7. “Hallelujah anyhow, Won’t allow my issues weigh me down” – Anonymous
8. “My socks may not match, but my feet are always warm.” – Maureen Mccullough
9. “Remember that what you have now was once among the things you hoped for.” – Epicurus
10. “The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.” – William James

Author’s Brief Profile
Dr Tinuke Olagunju
MD, MPH. MSc
Community Health Physicain
President and Co-Founder Patela Care Foundation
nuntidoc@yahoo.co.uk