How Can Gratitude Improve Your Day-to-Day life?

Gratitude can improve your day-to-day life in many ways. It improves your mood, sleep, and self-esteem. Gratitude also provides many physical and social benefits.

Gratitude improves your mood. Gratitude releases chemicals in the brain such as serotonin and dopamine which create feelings of happiness. It also is proven to decrease stress hormones like cortisol, which lowers stress levels and leaves more room for positive emotions.

Gratitude improves your sleep. Studies show that expressing gratitude right before bed can improve ones quality of sleep since they are going to bed with a positive outlook, rather than looping, negative thoughts.

Gratitude improves self-esteem. When you view the world around you with a sense of gratitude, it can change how you see your own worth. For example, expressing your appreciation to a friend for spending time with you or helping you with something can make you realize that your friend is spending time and resources on you because they value you. You then internalize the thought that you’re important to others.

Gratitude also benefits social relationships because when you express gratitude to a friend or family member shows that you care about them. This opens the door to positive interactions in the future. For example, if you tell your friend that you appreciate them when you are going through tough times, your friend will recognize their importance and will be there for you. You may also feel motivated to return their acts of kindness. Gratitude can even benefit a whole community. Research shows that being on the receiving gratitude can make you more helpful and generous. Try telling neighbors how much you appreciate them. This could create a domino effect of prosocial behavior that enhances your community.

Some physical health benefits of gratitude include lower blood pressure and reduced inflammation. For example, as gratitude reduces stress and brings you closer to loved ones, your blood pressure and inflammation levels may decrease. This leads to better cardiovascular health overall. Additionally, research shows that grateful people are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors, such as exercising regularly and following a healthy diet.

Source: https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/gratitude