Long before Oprah’s attention caused gratitude journals to soar in popularity Dale Carnegie taught us all to “give honest, sincere appreciation.” And Irving Berlin penned the lyrics “When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep.”
People have been encouraging us to get grateful for a long time.
So what’s the great about gratitude?
Well for one thing, it’s good for your health. (I’m grateful that we have lots of research on the subject!) A ten-week study cited in this post tells us that subjects focused on gratitude exercised more, reported fewer complaints and symptoms and reported being 25% happier than others.
Not only are grateful people said to engage in better self-care, some studies link gratitude’s close cousin “optimism” with stronger immune function.
The ability to feel and express gratitude is an important skill to share with our children. I don’t think it matters HOW we teach our kids to share gratitude and appreciation: a blessing before a meal, regular sharing about the best parts of each of our days, practicing good manners, making lists or journaling together are all reasonable choices.
Which one will you try first?
Related articles
- Teaching Kids the Importance of Gratitude
- The Magic of Gratitude
- Monday morning gratitude…
- Gratitude
