Tips to Boost Gratitude Today!

Scientific research reinforces what life experience suggests; it’s impossible to feel stress and tension when you're feeling grateful. Studies show it's a sound health practice to focus on what you are thankful for, rather than dwell on things you think you lack. 

The calming part of the nervous system is triggered by thoughts and feelings of gratitude, and works to make you feel refreshed and happy. 

An American Psychological Association quote adds to this good news. "A grateful heart is a healthier heart and a thankful outlook can lead to improved outcomes in heart-failure patients.” 

Don't you think practicing gratitude is worth a try?

To that End, I Offer Tips to Boost Gratitude Today!

Journal about gratitude and count your blessings. My investigation of the facts indicates gratitude heals, energizes, and transforms lives. Professor Robert A. Emmons from UC Davis, a science of gratitude expert, said expressing gratitude “can lower blood pressure, improve immune function and facilitate more efficient sleep. Gratitude reduces lifetime risk for depression, anxiety and is a key resiliency factor in the prevention of suicide."

Colors of Joy Provides Many Activities to Help You Draw Gratitude into Your Life

Amp up journal writings’ benefits with color. Use colored pens and markers to record your ideas about the goodness in your daily life. Perhaps you feel you have little time to write in a journal daily. Keep it simple. Take a few minutes, night or day, to do a colorful bullet list of things you are thankful about. Another choice is to do a mental gratitude list. Whatever you decide, know that colors bypass reason and work at the sensory level to make journal writing fun and transformative.

Meditate about gratitude. Define the word in your mind's eye and reflect on examples in your life. The definition I like best is an original, "gratitude is the human quality of being thankful, including readiness to show appreciation and kindness toward ourselves and others." How do you define it? 

Pamper yourself to make grateful feelings multiply. Shower yourself with kindness. Joy and thankfulness are plentiful, when you are compassionate with yourself. Self-care has a ripple effect, and helps you respond to others in a loving way. See this for additional self-care tips.

Appreciate much and take nothing for granted. Life and the people in it owe you nothing. Treat every person and pleasant thing anyone does for you as an unexpected treasure. Look at your work, play, home, health, and social interactions as blessings in your life.

Use your eyesight, hearing, sense of smell, taste, and touch, you "come alive" in the present moment. Practice cherishing and accepting things just as they are. Do you know what I mean?

                                         

LIVE RIGHT NOW!

As the baseball player Wade Boggs said, "Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but how we react to what happens, not by what life brings us, but the attitude we bring to life."

Make the most of every day. Rather than complain the glass is half empty, see the glass as filled with stuff to meet your needs. Don't put off your enjoyment for another day. Reserve time to do fun things like walk or hike in nature, play a favorite sport or game, or undertake a project you’ve been putting off doing. When you complete it, give thanks. Be mindful to balance business and pleasure; it creates warm, fuzzy feelings in you.

Display humility and stand with others. When you have a realistic conception of your assets and strengths, and possess the ability to acknowledge mistakes, imperfections, and gaps in knowledge, you are on the high road to personal satisfaction. Combine this with the aspect of being interested in what others have to say and willingness to learn from them. All add up and make you a gratitude winner.

Give to others to multiply gratitude. Make a donation to your favorite charity or prepare a meal for someone less fortunate than yourself. Sharing your money, time, food, and clothing with others helps you open your heart more fully. 

Be generous with kind words and gestures too. Let your thoughts be intentionally appreciative, and give others the benefit of the doubt. In the long run, it helps you be peaceful and empathetic, instead of judgmental.

Thank you dear reader for your visit. I’m grateful to be alive, and realize none of us know what tomorrow will bring. That's why I set the intention to celebrate gratitude today, and I wish you would too!

My quote for today is "I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver." Maya Angelou  

Please take a moment to comment below. What people, places, and things are you grateful for? Do you participate in things that help you feel more grateful? What are they? Please re-share this post if you enjoyed reading it, and pick up your copy of Colors of Joy today. 💖

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15 One-Minute Health Boosters

Do you want to improve your health, but lack ideas and motivation? Perhaps you feel sluggish and want to restore your enthusiasm for daily living. Try out these 1 minute health boosters and see how little time and effort it takes to nurture your mind, body, and spirit.

1.Drink a tall one, an 8 oz. glass of water several times during the day. This will keep you hydrated, helps digestion, and makes skin dewy fresh.

2.Eat a half cup of beans, an excellent source of protein and fiber, to help you rev up energy, maintain regularity, without fat.

3.Splash your face with cool water to revive yourself, instead of drinking a cup of coffee and jarring your nerves.

4.Plan daily goals for exercise. It takes less than a minute to reserve time for this self-care practice on your calendar. Exercise pays off by reducing stress, helps keep you fit, and elevates mood.

5.Take a deep breath. Deep breathing eliminates anxiety and sends nourishing oxygen to all parts of your body.

6.Snack on a serving of fresh sweet peas for a change of pace treat. This healthy veggie has more vitamin C than 2 large apples and more protein than a whole egg or a tablespoon of peanut butter.

7.Take a 20-20-20 break. Every 20 minutes disengage from your computer screen by standing up and looking at what’s going on 20 feet away from you. Do this for at least 20 seconds. This saves eyesight and prevents eye and body strain.

8.Use eye drops to refresh your eyes at least two or three times a day.

9.Say “no” when you need to. Bowing out of tasks you really don't want or need to do enables you to prioritize your time, energy, and resources. It allows you to focus on meeting your own needs more effectively. In the long run, setting boundaries avoids building up resentments and stress.

10.Set water to hot (above 140 degrees F) when washing sheets, pillow cases, and towels to kill dust mites. Hot water washes can remove pet dander and pollen residue and makes laundry fresh smelling as well as clean.

11.Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen which is non-nano (SPF 30 or above) to face and body every day to reduce chances of getting skin cancer and sun damage. Wear UV protected sunglasses to cut down on exposure to radiation and protect sensitive skin around your eyes.

12.Shed shoes at your front door. Discover how easy it is to keep carpets cleaner and cut down on the amount of environmental pollutants you track into your home.

13.Hug a bud to get those good feelings flowing. Kiss your significant other, and compliment your kids to spread the love and nurture each other. Laugh often. It reduces stress and prevents "dis-ease."

14.Stretch by reaching for the sky, bending over to reach for your toes. Stand tall and roll your shoulders. Stretching relieves sore muscles, reduces tension, and relaxes shoulders, neck, and body.

15.Create a mental gratitude list. Give thanks for your blessings and see how fast it improves your mood and sense of well-being.

Wishing you good luck as you follow through on these one-minute health boosters. They have worked really well for me, and can work for you too. Begin today to increase your health quotient by adopting these 15 wellness techniques gradually. Please let me know which ones are in your daily routine already. Are there any you're reluctant to try? Let me know about those too. When you follow this blog, you'll be updated when a new post appears. Thanks for your interest. I so appreciate you!

Before you move on, please check out this link to my website. Find out how activities in my woman's interactive journal, Colors of Joy: A Woman's Guide for Self Discovery, Balance, and Bliss can enliven your spirit and improve your sense of well-being.

The quote for today follows:

"Good health is not something we can buy. However, it can be an extremely valuable savings account." Anne Wilson Schaef

Read more at Brainyquote.com


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Holiday Musings + Meaning in the Season

This year, I am purposely taking gift-giving in slow gear, setting the intention to consciously plan how much time, energy, and resources I use to select gifts for those on my gift list. This feels right to me, especially when I purchase items that don't exceed my budget and dispense with ego, which tells me to select gifts that may be received favorably or draw attention to me. Today, I look for gifts that serve a utilitarian as well as a pleasurable function. And if my gift is for a child, a toy that adheres to safety standards and is durable rather than flashy, is of the utmost importance to me.