A Grateful Heart is a Healthier Heart

In this new year, my husband and I have started keeping separate "Gratitude Journals," where we try to start every day by writing down whatever we're feeling thankful for that morning. We had heard about this idea for a while from various sources, and we decided to give it a try.

Some of our first entries included things like "Thankful for good health; a career I enjoy, where I am surrounded by amazing people who enrich my life; thankful for the liberties we have by living in the United States; thankful for the aspects of life that bring me joy, like laughter, music, time to talk with friends, seeing my children happy; etc."

These entries in our Gratitude Journals are addressed to God, Our Heavenly Father, for providing these blessings. I can't say that bells and whistles have been going off since I started keeping a Gratitude Journal. Life hasn't miraculously become problem-free, but I have developed a new sense of perspective. I have found myself complaining less about what I don't have or about what's not going right, and I have seen my sense of contentment increase tremendously.

According to a 2021 psychology study at chopra.com, "Higher levels of gratitude were found to be associated with better mood, better sleep, less fatigue, and less inflammation."

Participants in this study were randomly divided into two groups, with one group keeping a Gratitude Journal for eight weeks. The results? "It was found that the group of patients who kept the gratitude journal had better heart health than the group that was treated to the standard protocol."

Furthermore, "In 2008, a study conducted in England found that there is a direct correlation between gratitude and improved stress levels and lower depression levels." Clearly, a grateful heart is a healthier heart — physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

Take a moment to think about what you're grateful for — or what you should be grateful for.

The fact that you're alive at this moment, your friends and family, your ability to keep a job and provide for your family, having two eyes that see and two ears that hear, your happy memories of travel and happy times with friends and family... All of these blessings can easily be overlooked because we're all so busy that we don't take the time each day to pause and reflect on our blessings.

Even if you don't write daily in a Gratitude Journal, take a moment every morning to count your blessings and express your gratitude. It will truly improve your life in many ways. Let's start today!