This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

For Health: Gratitude with the Heart, Lips and Action

If it is true that gratitude is good for health, then wouldn’t it be beneficial to actively be grateful on a consistent basis?

In a study looking at a conscious focus on blessings, subjects expressing gratitude experienced a 25% increase in happiness and, get this: those with chronic health problems experienced better sleep.

There are many ways to express gratitude, but its expression, while important, is just that - an expression - an expression of a sincere feeling that starts in the heart.

Find out what's happening in White Lake-Highlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ¹ ~John F. Kennedy

In the century before JFK shared this wisdom, Mary Baker Eddy, a pioneer in spirituality and health, shared the same sentiment: "Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks. Action expresses more gratitude than speech." ² 

Find out what's happening in White Lake-Highlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

It seems pretty simple really - intuitive even. 

The Bible (1Thessalonians 5:18) speaks to this in very simple terms:

                  "In every thing give thanks." 

May you have much to be grateful for, including good health!

Bob Cummings writes about how consciousness and spirituality benefit health and serves as the media and legislative spokesperson for Christian Science in Michigan. He is a life-long Michigander now living in Milford, an MSU graduate, a former computer whiz and a fairly decent table tennis player.  See more on his website, A Look At Spirituality and Health and follow him on Twitter @CSinMichigan.

(Photo courtesy of ©GlowImages/Stock Photo) 

_________________

 

References

¹ Presidential Proclamation, Thanksgiving Day, 1963


² Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, page 3.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from White Lake-Highland