Why Gratitude?

Unlock the secrets to a more fulfilling life by harnessing the transformative power of gratitude. Imagine a life where stronger relationships, better sleep, and reduced stress are not just aspirations but achievable realities. Join us as we explore the profound impact of gratitude on our lives as part of our GrateFall series. With scientific evidence at our fingertips, we unravel how this simple yet potent emotion can reshape our brains, fostering positivity and resilience. Practical tips, like gratitude journaling, offer you the tools to make gratitude a daily habit, grounding you even during life's toughest storms.

To learn more, go to mycreateharmony.com

Chapters

• 0:05 The Power of Gratitude
• 8:21 Finding Focus Amid Distractions

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:05

Hello there and welcome to the Create Harmony podcast. This is a podcast about setting an intentional rhythm. We're all about savoring life's blessings and learning how to use your imagination as a way of listening to God. If you're a person that wants to learn more about how to bring stillness and gratitude into your life, you'll probably find a lot here that you love, and if you want to be creative and fun, you'll find your place right here as well. In this place, we'll take a few minutes to celebrate everyday joys and remind ourselves how to notice goodness all around us.

Speaker 2: 0:43

So I'm your host, sally Burlington, and this is episode 96. We're journeying through our Great Fall series. This is what we do every fall and, in case you haven't been following along, it's a series where we focus on all things gratitude. We put our attention on gratitude and it happens in the fall, so that's why we call it Great Fall. So today we are going to raise the question of why gratitude? Why do we dedicate several weeks solely to the topic of gratitude in the fall? On the face of it, this concept it kind of gets undervalued.

Speaker 2: 1:20

It often gets put in the category of nice to have something I'm going to do if I have enough time that's, that's real sweet. Just make a little list of things I'm thankful for. But gratitude is actually a very powerful emotion and it can be life changing for people who embrace it. So there are a long list of benefits from practicing gratitude, and there are things like you have stronger relationships, you have better sleep, you lower your stress and you increase your optimism. People who practice gratitude live longer and they live healthier lives. They're happier and more joyful. So what if I told you there's a simple practice that you could do every day that would improve your physical and your mental health? It didn't cost anything and it was always readily available. Would you think then that it was just a sweet, nice little something nice to have, or would you put this at the top of your to-do list?

Speaker 2: 2:21

Those of you who are already practicing gratitude there's probably lots of you out there that already have a regular practice of gratitude in your rhythm, and this is your moment to give yourselves a pat on the back. Good job for taking such good care of yourself and the world around you, and if you want more incentive to add gratitude in your life. Let's talk about kind of how it works. Incentive to add gratitude in your life. Let's talk about kind of how it works Now. When a person feels the positive emotions of gratefulness, their brain structure actually changes. The scientific response what happens in the brain is that the medial prefrontal cortex of the brain lights up. I mean, how about that? That is quite a scientific term there. This is the part of your brain which is responsible for your feelings of reward, of social consciousness, the ability to recognize all the positive things that are going on around you, and gratitude actually creates new neural pathways in those zones, and the repeated practice of it strengthens our ability to revisit those positive experiences and their benefits over time. So if you are practicing gratitude, you are going to create new neural pathways in your brain that make you a more positive, leaning person. In general, studies show that people who regularly experience feeling grateful they report less physical pain and exercise more frequently, which is a healthy habit. They also display better self-care habits, like doctor's visits and better nutrition. Researchers have also found that certain law students they did a study on law students who are under stress and that they indicated higher levels of optimism and had more disease fighting cells in their body. So, in addition to these fortifying cells, thankfulness promotes better sleep, lower levels of stress, and all of those are key factors in a healthy immune system.

Speaker 2: 4:19

So the thing is, some days are not going to go well. Some days it's going to rain, or your hair is going to look bad, or you're going to argue with your family, or someone's going to be in a terrible accident or get an overwhelming diagnosis, or a hurricane is going to come and decimate your entire town, or you're going to have the stomach bug. Some days are going to suck. Have the stomach bug, some days are going to suck, and on those days it is gratitude that buoys us. It is gratitude that grounds us and keeps us from being overcome with despair. So create harmony community.

Speaker 2: 5:02

We all focus on gratitude, not because this is just a nice pleasant little topic that would lend itself to a cute fall name. It is a powerful, health-boosting and life-changing force. This stuff matters. So now we're at the point in the podcast where I remind you to think of new ways. You can add this to your life.

Speaker 2: 5:25

If you need more gratitude in your life, start small. You do not need to overhaul your whole day to enjoy benefits. Just put one small habit on your radar for each day. That would help you be grateful. So think about your daily routine. Are mornings the best place to add something? I mean, could you, in your daily shower, could you take some time to run through a list of things you're thankful for about your day ahead? Or maybe it's your morning commute, when you're riding along. Could you take some time to be grateful For you? It might be your lunch break. You could stop for a short minute and give thanks. Or maybe your routine is such that the evening is a better option. Could you take a walk each night and give thanks for the things you see? Or place a habit right before your bedtime where you look back over your day and feel grateful.

Speaker 2: 6:18

Now it works the very, very best if you can write these things down, and I mean with a pen and paper. Using a digital option is fine, or just thinking of those things in your head, that's fine. If that's what works best for you, great. But studies show that writing things down with a pen and paper helps you remember them. So if you wanted to get yourself a gratitude journal and add things to it regularly, you would definitely feel even more powerful benefits. So take some time to celebrate the good habits you already have and remember how important it is. And if you decide you want to add something, just think about it a little bit. Where could you add this in your routine?

Speaker 2: 7:00

Now for our closing. Today I'm going to read a story from a book called Devotions from the Front Porch by Stacey Edwards, and this one is called Wind Chimes, and it goes like this Life can get crazy loud, with work, friends, a spouse, children, church, household responsibilities and a hundred other things going on. It can mean challenging to carve out any peace and quiet. Recently I stepped out onto the porch to get a breath of fresh air and I was instantly bombarded with noise A barking dog next door, a neighbor mowing his lawn across the street, cars driving up and down the road my children laughing and playing in the yard.

Speaker 2: 7:55

I was ready to turn around and go back inside, but then a soft wind began to blow. Suddenly, I could hear the tinkling of the beautiful wind chimes that my husband had recently hung. I closed my eyes and as I focused on the song of the wind chimes, other notes faded into the background. The noise disappeared because of what I chose to focus on. The world is full of distractions, noises and needs vying for our attention. These things seek space in our hearts and minds, making it easy to get overwhelmed and lose focus. Sometimes we need to stop and ask ourselves what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and then we must continuously choose to focus on those things and let the rest fade into the background. May it be so. May it be so During this Great Fall series. We are particularly great fall for each and every one of you, and we hope you'll come back next week as we continue through this series a little more Good luck, adding some new gratitude practices to your life.

Speaker 2: 9:13

And until next time, peace.

Speaker 1: 9:15

Thank you.