Living A Life Of Gratitude — Physical Health Benefits (Part 3 of a Series)

October 14, 2024November 13, 2024 / jrmilson / 4 Comments

How is your October going so far? Here on the outskirts of St. Louis, Missouri, we had a high of 88°F on Saturday, still summerlike. However, Tuesday’s forecast predicts a high of 59°F on Tuesday with a low of 38°F Wednesday morning, with a possibility of the first frost of the season. Frost on the pumpkin time!

And that is how the month of October goes here now. Summers seem to get longer and longer each year, pushing what used to be September’s month of roller-coaster weather into October.

No longer faring well in hot weather and humidity, I look forward to cooler temperatures each Autumn, and will welcome and be grateful for the change this week, if even only for a few days before we possibly climb back into the 80s by the end of the week.

The temperatures are gradually trending downward week by week, and I am grateful for that.

Walking my little chihuahua, Allie, this morning, a mockingbird was singing from the top of a red maple tree across the street. And I offered a silent prayer of gratitude for him brightening our early morning walk.

Yesterday, the retractable leash that I used to walk Allie broke, with sixteen feet of lead line fully extended and no longer retracting. At 9:17 a.m. this morning, Amazon had already delivered a new one. And I am thankful for that.

What have you been thankful for lately? There are so many happenings, events, and occasions going on all around us all thru the day to be thankful for. Small things, as discussed in the first part of this series. Did you know that besides Mental Health Benefits, living a life of gratitude and thankfulness actually has physical benefits for our well-being?

It’s true. Hundreds of studies have shown that living a life of gratitude has many physical health benefits, including:

Reducing Heart Rate
Lowering Blood Pressure
Reducing Respiratory Rate
Increasing Immune Function
Speeding Recovery Time
Improving Cognition
Boosting Mood
Improving Sleep
Reducing Chronic Pain
Lowering Inflammation
Improving Digestion

Living a life of gratitude releases a flood of what scientists refer to as “happy hormones” in one’s brain, which then helps one to make better lifestyle choices.

As such, research has shown that grateful people are more likely to exercise, eat a nutritious diet, sleep better, and to engage in other healthy behaviors that can help reduce or prevent not only Type II Diabetes but also help to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia, chronic pain, insomnia, and even catching the flu.

That is quite a list, isn’t it? So, please allow me to ask again — what are you thankful for today? Please let us know in the Comments!

Living a life of positivity and gratitude clearly has its benefits. Being thankful — it’s a good thing!

“Thank You!” for visiting with us today! We are grateful for YOU taking a few moments of your day to share with us here. Because you are why we do this.

Please join us again next Monday, when we explore living a life of gratitude in a simple walk around the block.

Best Wishes & Blessings! — Jim (and Red!) 🤠 🐻 🍂 🍁 🍂 🧡

Continue with the Living A Life Of Gratitude series with Part 4 — “Living A Life Of Gratitude — It’s A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood!”

In case you missed it, I invite you to check out Parts 1 & 2 in our weekly Monday Morning series — Living A Life of Gratitude, and Mental Health Benefits leading up to the Thanksgiving Holiday.

You may also enjoy — “Happy October! Welcome Glorious Autumn!”

(Featured image credit — “Autumn Pumpkins in a Field, Watercolor,” created via Bing Image Creator AI)

If you enjoyed this piece, you may also like — “Mitakuye Oyasin — We Are All Related,” and “Walking A Mile In Another’s Moccasins; What Tracks Will We Leave Behind?”

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Living A Life Of Gratitude — Mental Health Benefits (Part 2 of a Series)

October 7, 2024November 13, 2024 / jrmilson / 3 Comments

Happy October! And here we are, entering the gateway to the Autumn and Holiday Seasons.

What is the first thought that enters your mind when you hear the word or think about “Autumn?” Is it beautifully colored trees with their changing leaves? Is it pumpkin spice? Pumpkin pies? Apple picking? Carving Jack-o’-lanterns? Costumes and Trick-or-Treating? Or ??? Please tell us all about it in the Comments.

One of my most favorite things about the season of Autumn and this time of year is taking my little chihuahua companion for a walk in the evenings. It is already dark after dinner. Delightful wood smoke from fireplaces in nearby homes perfumes the air, and we can hear the rumble of a train passing by at the end of the street. And I am grateful for these things.

What are you grateful for these days? And did you know that living with an attitude of gratitude is beneficial to our mental health?

Studies have showed that living a life of gratitude has the potential to lower symptoms of depression, reduce stress, improve social relationships, and increase both willpower and resilience.

Scientists believe that living a life of gratitude helps to foster long-term thinking, which helps to bolster willpower.

But, what is “resilience” really? Resilience is the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties, challenges, disturbances, or turmoil in our lives.

Living a life of gratitude can help to decrease stress and anxiety by activating the areas in the brain that release the “feel-good” hormones serotonin and dopamine. To develop a sense of Inner Peace.

Begin by counting your blessings instead of problems or worries. At the end of each day, the last thing I do before going to sleep, is to offer a prayer of thankfulness, reviewing the day from morning to night, and expressing gratitude for all the positive aspects of the day, no matter how small.

Even being thankful for more negative things, the challenges, problems, irritants, and temptations that arose thru the day. They all have lessons to be thankful for too, as they provide opportunities to grow stronger and better through the experience.

When taking this approach, any problems or challenges become less daunting and worrying in our minds, reducing the stress we so often needlessly impose on ourselves.

Living a life of gratitude simply helps us to feel better and be happier in our lives, despite what may go on around us. And in addition, to be much more pleasant to be around for others. That all seems like a splendid thing, wouldn’t you agree?

Taking a short walk around the neighborhood, there will be many opportunities to practice living a life of gratitude as Autumn leaves fall.

I encourage you to be mindful of not only the colors of the leaves, beautiful as they are, but also the varieties of leaves and all the different shapes.

Take a moment to notice the patterns and shades of the different colors just in one leaf. Be thankful that this leaf fell just for you to behold in that moment.

Be observant, and watch as a leaf gently tumbles to the ground, perhaps swirling and twirling thru the air on a breeze. Touch and feel the texture of the leaf, its suppleness or dryness. Smell the leaf and its woodiness. Sniff for wood smoke in the air, the scent from leaves on the ground, or freshly mowed grass. Listen for a bird singing, or a squirrel barking out an alarm nearby. Or children playing. Feel the Autumn breeze on your face. Look up and see the unique patterns in the clouds as they pass by, never ever to form those exact patterns and shapes again.

Allow all of your senses to awaken. And in that moment, that one very special, mindful moment, simply relax, clear your mind, breathe, and permit yourself to feel and experience the sheer joyfulness of simply being alive. At this moment. Your moment. And be thankful.

And “Thank You!” for visiting with us today! We are grateful for you taking a few moments of your day to share with us here. Because you are why we do this.

Please join us again next Monday, when we explore the Physical Benefits of living a life of gratitude.

Best Wishes & Blessings! — Jim (and Red!) 🤠 🐻 🍂 🍁 🍂 🧡

Continue with the Living A Life Of Gratitude series with Part 3 — “Living A Life Of Gratitude — Physical Health Benefits (Part 3 of a Series)”

In case you missed it, I invite you to check out Part 1 in my new Monday Morning series about Living A Life of Gratitude leading up to the Thanksgiving Holiday, and “Happy October! Welcome Glorious Autumn!”

(Featured image credit — “Sunflowers, Watercolor,” created via Bing Image Creator AI)

If you enjoyed this piece, you may also like — “Mitakuye Oyasin — We Are All Related,” and “Wishing You Deep Peace, Love, Happiness, and Joy; And A Very Good Day!”

In a world where we can be anything, please choose to be kind!