Five Reasons Why You Should be Grateful This Year

1. Relieve Stress: “Gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with  daily problems, especially stress,” Emmons said in a WebMD article.
2. Become Happier and More Fit: People who keep gratitude journals tend to exercise  more, feel better physically and be happier and more optimistic about their lives in general.
3. Reach Your Goals: People who kept gratitude lists for two months were closer to achieving their personal goals than those who did not.
4. Acquire a Sense of Well-Being: Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, vitality and life satisfaction and lower levels of depression and stress.
5. Cope With Illness:  Emmons found that a 21-day gratitude intervention produced more high-energy positive moods, a greater sense of feeling connected to others, more optimistic ratings of one’s life, and better sleep duration  and quality in people with a neuromuscular disease.

“Being grateful is a boon to humankind, showering benefits on both your mind and body”- Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California
Davis and colleagues

Adapted From: http://www.sixwise.com/Newsletters/2008/November/24/What-are-You-Thankful-for-This-Thanksgiving.htm