Gratitude improved my life.

I kept a gratitude journal for 30 days

I have heard a lot about how beneficial writing in a gratitude journal can be.

Gratitude is a great long term strategy to cope with depression and mental lethargy because it trains your brain to focus on the positive aspects of your life.

Our minds are constantly adapting to the information that we feed it.

Left to its own devices, the brain will naturally focus on negativity

It is natural to focus on the negative instead of the positive. In fact, it helped us to survive many years ago.

Obsessing over possible dangers helped us to avoid situations that could potentially kill us. Focusing on the things that were wrong with our lives helped us to fix them so that they did not become permanent.

Focusing on the negative helped to keep us safe and build a life that had as little resistance as possible.

In today’s world where survival isn’t that hard to accomplish, the things that bother us mentally aren’t matters of life and death.

They have morphed into less consequential things like what other people think of us and what our future will look like.

Although the things that bother us don’t threaten our survival, our minds will still fixate on them with the same measure of intensity.

By focusing on the positive, we give our minds a break from negative emotions that can destroy our health. 

We slowly learn how to enjoy the comforts that we do have: good food, beneficial relationships and enjoyable activities.

Positive emotions improve our health and negative emotions cause health issues.

Happy brain, happy body

Positivity is physically good for your health

Positivity has a whole range of health benefits.

Good feelings increase physical energy and learning ability.

They also help us to avoid bad habits and stick to good ones. You need less motivation to do something when you are in a good mood.

Serotonin, the happiness hormone that is associated with comfort and feeling good, helps to regulate mental function. It increases the rate at which your body can recover from injury and facilitates the resting process.

This can lead to better sleep quality and feeling more refreshed.

Dopamine increases the brain’s learning capability and increases the length of time that we can spend doing certain tasks.

Dopamine release, for example, explains why we can focus intently on a series that we enjoy, but struggle to pay attention 5 minutes into a work meeting.

Dopamine is also a major contributor to the kind of habits we have. Addictions like smoking, drug and alcohol abuse keep us coming back for more because they stimulate dopamine release (but decrease it over time). 

People with naturally lower-than-usual levels of dopamine are more likely to partake in addictive behavior.

People who naturally produce higher amounts of dopamine are more likely to make better life choices and gravitate towards healthier activities like exercise, self-improvement and learning.

Improve your mood.

My experiment: How I felt to begin with

My story is less extreme than many who would typically benefit from keeping a gratitude journal.

I don’t struggle with depression.

You might be wondering why I would try this experiment if I don’t feel any urgency to reshape my emotions.

I wanted to see if keeping a gratitude journal would show me any noticeable differences in the health benefits that I described above.

The rules of my experiment

To make sure that I stayed on the right track, I chose to abide by the following rules:

1. Write a gratitude journal once a day

I decided to do this at night because I could focus on it without being distracted by all the tasks that I had to get done.

Doing it at the end of the day also meant that I had an entire day’s worth of thoughts and experiences that I could be thankful for. 

2. Write in two separate sections every day: Things I feel thankful for and things I should be thankful for

I decided to separate the list into two parts.

The first part consisted of things that I am actually glad about.

If I needed to think of something that I should be thankful for just because some people don’t have the privileges that I do, or simply to fill up the page, I’d add it to the other side.

3. Write a quick anecdote about any changes that I experienced because of the gratitude journal

I thought that it would be very interesting to see how my experience changed over the course of the month.

Would there be any differences between day 1 and day 10? The anecdotal notes would make up the report that I could share with you.

Hold yourself accountable.

The results of gratitude

Here are some of the highlights of the notes that I took about this experiment.

Day 1

I was planning to spend 5 minutes on this, but it ended up taking just under an hour. It was easy for me to think about things that I am thankful for.

I feel a little guilty about not feeling thankful for things that I take for granted. I’m worried about whether I can think of new things to write down tomorrow.

Overall, I feel really energized and happy. I’m in a much better mood than I thought I’d be!

Day 2

I was in such a great mood last night that I struggled to fall asleep. I was too excited about how well I'm actually doing to calm down.

I’m not grateful for that! I slept lighter than usual. It was easy for me to get out of bed this morning.

A few people asked me why I was so happy. This is weird because I have only done this once so far and haven't told anybody about my experiment.

I thought that I acted normal - just like any other day.

Whenever something good happened to me, I felt good about having something to write about later.

Today made me realize that a lot more good things happen to me than I realize.

I was tempted to write some of these things down so that I don’t forget, but decided to limit this experiment to my nighttime routine.

Day 3

I struggled to fall asleep for the second night in a row because of the excitement.

I’m wondering if I should do this in the morning instead.

I felt sleepier during work – most likely because I haven’t been sleeping as well as usual.

Day 9

My sleep has finally returned back to normal. I might be sleeping better than usual now, but not sure.

I get sleepy when I start writing in my journal - probably because I associate it with bed time. Maybe it lowers my stress level (which is known to interfere with sleep).

I have noticed that I am a lot calmer and I don’t stress about certain things like I used to. Everything else feels the same.

Day 10

It is just me or is my life actually improving since I started this!?

Not intrinsic like my energy levels and stuff, but more good things are happening to me.

I’ve had really great opportunities come my way the last few days. People are being super nice and generous towards me for no reason. Maybe being positive has somehow set something off?

It's worth the effort.

End of gratitude notes

The other days were typical ‘I feel good’, ‘nothing out of the ordinary’ and ‘I like the way I feel’, etc.

I must say that my life has improved in ways that I didn’t expect.

I was more successful at things that I was trying to accomplish with work and people seemed to gravitate towards me.

Maybe they sensed the positivity and wanted it for themselves?

It has also been a lot easier to stick to my workout and diet plans. I’ve made less bad health decisions during the last 30 days than usual.

The last two benefits are definitely worth the time that it took to complete this task.

Last word on gratitude

This experiment was a big eye opener for me. I get why gratitude journals are all the rage right now.

I have since decided to keep doing this - but in a slightly different way.

Instead of writing in a journal, I am going to make an effort to think about the things that I am grateful for throughout the day.

Every time that I do this, I must mentally list all the good things that have happened to me since the last time that I did it.

I highly recommend that you try this for at least a few weeks to discover the benefits for yourself.

Gratitude is awesome.

Be happy for the sake of your health

Improve health by being happy.

 How happiness improves your health

Being happy can have major physical health benefits. The connection between your emotional state and your physical state is quite profound. Happiness and positivity can help to prevent many diseases like chronic pain, inflammation and heart disease. Happiness also helps to reduce the negative physical effects of stress. It can also boost the immune system. Happiness can even increase your life expectancy! 

In short; the happier you are, the healthier you can be.

Your mood affects your body.

How to be happy

What makes people happy? What is the difference between happy people and those who need a little cheering up? There could be a whole range of answers to that question (I'm already thinking about genetics, upbringing, hormones, exercise, nutrition, chronic diseases, medications etc.)

Let's make it as simple as simple as we can. Happy people have different habits. Happy people act and think differently to those that aren't so happy. This is called deliberate happiness.

In all truth, happiness doesn’t depend on whether you’re rich or poor, or whether you drive a sports car or take the bus. It doesn't matter whether you’re the best looking person in the room or just an average Joe.

This sounds like a bunch of over-used phrases, but it's actually good news! It means that your happiness lies in your own hands. You can be happy right now. And it doesn't have to cost you anything. If you want to be happier, you can simply implement one or more of the following habits into your life.

1. Be optimistic

Negative situations and having to deal with uncomfortable things are, unfortunately, a part of life that we can't avoid. Thankfully, this doesn’t have to define you or your happiness. You should always try to find the silver lining in every situation.

Start by realizing that you can change the way you think. It will take a little effort at first, but you can train your brain to be positive about almost everything that you encounter. 

A positive outlook will inspire feelings of trust and allow you to connect with others better. It will also give you the motivation for longer term life changes (like exercising and eating healthy).

It is easier to make better choices when we aren't running away from an emotional black hole. It is almost impossible to make healthy choices when you're battling with depression.

A positive outlook will also reduce the amount of stress that you face in tough times.

Drop negative thinking. It doesn't serve you. Let go of negative thoughts and emotions. Learn to see problems as challenges and opportunities. If you can't figure something out at work, see it as an opportunity to improve your skills.

Instead of pondering over what’s impossible, think about what is possible - and how you can make it happen.

A better mood leads to better decisions.

2. Focus on what you can control

Too many people worry about things that are far beyond their control. It could be a debilitating illness, a disastrous storm, or an unstable job market. This kind of thinking is exhausting.

It will drain what little energy you have left - and that's why you feel like you don’t have any energy left to think positive and feel happy.  

The next time you catch yourself thinking about things that you don't have any control over, let go of them as soon as you notice it and turn your thoughts into things that you can control instead.

I can't control how my boss treats me, but I can control how many positive things I notice about my job.

The one train of thought makes you feel like a victim to circumstance. The other makes you feel like the superhero of your own destiny.

Negativity drains you.

3. Practice self-acceptance

You are almost always your own worst enemy. You need to accept yourself before you can be comfortable with who you are. You can't feel good if you don't feel good about what you are as a human being.

One of the biggest things that make us unhappy with ourselves is what we see from other people around us. If you compare yourself to others and focus on your own flaws in comparison, it will color your world in a terrible shade of negativity.

Know this: We all have flaws.

Embrace this fact to become happier with yourself. Ironically, this will also help you to accept other people for who they are as well.

Be happy with what you are - today, in this very moment. 

Find ways to be a better version of yourself instead of comparing yourself to other people.

Happiness starts with the way that you see yourself.

4. Be kind to others

This is by far one of the most common habits of happy people. It's also quick and easy to do. Doing things for others and small acts of kindness will give you more than just fuzzy feelings. There is a very real effect on your own happiness when you show kindness to others.

There’s more to kindness than just giving money to charity. Kindness includes donating your time, energy, and experience for the benefit of others. It can also include smiling to someone as you walk past them, saying thank you or helping a co-worker that seems to be struggling with something.

Along with boosting your happiness, kindness will strengthen your social connections and improve your health.

You get what you give.

5. Make your physical health a priority

Our general state of physical health is a good predictor of our personal happiness levels. This is especially true since hormones, happy hormones (dopamine, serotonin, endorphins); genetics and energy directly affect your mood.

We don’t normally take note of how big of a role our health plays on our happiness. This is mostly because we don’t pay attention when things are normal. Think about the fact that as soon as you get sick, it immediately affects your attitude, mood, and outlook very drastically. When the body ails, so does the mind.

This can range from simple headaches to chronic pain or other health issues. 

If you want to be happy, you need to take care of your health. Getting enough sleep restores your vital physical and mental functions. Eating nutritious food keeps your body and mind functioning at its best. Regular physical exercise will keep you in shape and release happy hormones (like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins) to ease depression, stop stress and enhance your mood.

The brain and the body are strongly connected.

What makes you happy? Let me know in the comments below!

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What are the 7 healthy habits?

There are only 7 healthy habits that you need to be healthy.

The 7 seven healthy habits

1. Nutrition
2. Exercise
3. Hydration
4. Gut health
5. Sleep
6. Mental health
7. Hygiene

These are the top healthy habits that you need to form a complete, healthy lifestyle. Make sure that you look after yourself in regard to these 7 health habits to ensure longevity, freedom from disease, happiness and productivity.

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1. Nutrition

Your body needs a variety of nutrients. Nutrients are divided into macro nutrients and micro nutrients.

Macro nutrients

Macro nutrients provide energy in the form of calories.

1. Protein (turns into amino acids)
2. Fat (turns into fatty acids)
3. Carbohydrates (turn into sugars)

Macro nutrients

Caloric density of macro nutrients

• Protein has 4 calories per gram
• Fat has 9 calories per gram
• Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram
• Alcohol, although not a macro nutrient, has 7 calories per gram

Micro Nutrients

Micro nutrients might not offer energy in the form of calories, but they are just as important to your health. Antioxidants, for example, prevent cell decay. Minerals, on the other hand, support cell signaling, hydration and nerve function.

1. Vitamins
2. Minerals
3. Trace elements
4. Phyto nutrients, polyphenols and plant compounds
5. Antioxidants

Your body needs these micro nutrients to function properly.

Follow a balanced, varied diet to get all of the nutrients that you need

It might be hard to focus on getting all of the nutrients that you need. There are over 20 different amino acids, found in proteins that your body needs. Your body needs over 15 different types of minerals and trace elements.

Fortunately our bodies do a good job of storing these nutrients and using them when they need it - IF we get enough of them. To make sure that you get enough of these nutrients regularly, follow these tips:

How to follow a healthy diet

1. Eat a variety of foods to increase the types you nutrients that your body gets
2. Choose natural over processed foods
3. Balance out your protein, carbohydrate and fat food sources
4. Cut out foods that are high in added sugar
5. Avoid fast food and fried foods
6. Stay away from alcohol as much as you can
7. Keep processed meat to a minimum

You can make healthy meals that offer a variety of nutrients without much effort. This healthy chicken avocado salad, for example, has the beneficial nutrients of chicken, spinach, lettuce, lemon juice, black pepper and apple cider vinegar.

2. Exercise 

Would the 7 healthy habits be complete without exercise? Exercise is extremely beneficial to every part of your body. Use this link to see most of the benefits of exercise (there are over 100 benefits).

The top benefits of exercise

1. Boosts your immune system
2. Increases energy levels
3. Counteracts mental stress
4. Lowers feelings of depression
5. Decreases fat storage
6. Improves rest and recovery
7. Boosts confidence
8. Increases confidence
9. Sharpens the mind
10. Maximizes oxygen and nutrient delivery
11. Slows age-related decline

Exercise does more than improve how good you look.

How to make exercise a regular part of your life:

1. Find a form of exercise that you enjoy
2. Keep exercising until you don't need to think about it anymore
3. Exercise with friends and family to increase your level of commitment
4. Balance strength straining with cardiovascular exercise for well-rounded benefits

Here are the amounts of calories that you burn per form of exercise.

3. Hydration

More than half of your entire body is made up of water.

Why is water so important?

1. Every cell in your body needs water. Cells die if they get too dehydrated.
2. Your body uses water to get rid of toxic chemicals and metabolic by-products.
3. Water forms saliva, which is an important element of digestion.
4. Your body also uses water to make stomach acid, bile and form proper bowel movements (dehydration can lead to constipation).
5. Blood needs water to transport nutrients.
6. Water moistens mucous membranes (dehydration limits the body's ability to eliminate excess sinus).
7. Your brain can't make important hormones and chemicals without water.
8. It regulates body temperature.
9. Water lubricates joints.
10. It also helps with oxygen delivery.

How much water is in your body?

• Up to 60% of your entire body is made up of water.
• The brain is 73% water.
• Lungs are 83% water.
• Skin contains 64% water.
• Muscles are 79% water.
• Kidneys are also 79% water.
• Bones contain 31% water.

Water supports cellular health.

Additional notes on hydration

It is possible to drink too much water. I like to use the color of my pee to tell me whether I need more or less water. Urine coloration is a good indicator of whether you need more or less water. Darker urine colors point to dehydration and an increased water need.

Urine frequency is another good indication of whether you should be drinking more or less water. The average amount of times that a healthy individual person urinates is 6-7 times a day.

Not all beverages are hydrating. Drinks that are high in sugar, caffeine, artificial flavors and colors may increase your body's need for water. Exercise also increases your body's need for water.

4. Gut Health

Your gut is the fourth component of the 7 healthy habits.

Why is gut health so important?

1. 70% of your immune system is in your gut.
2. Most of your serotonin (happy hormone) is made in your gut.
3. Good bacteria are supposed to keep bad bacteria at bay.
4. Gut bacteria determines how much of our food is turned into fat or energy.
5. Many important nutrients can only be made by gut bacteria.
6. Good gut bacteria build and protect the lining on the gut.
7. Gut bacteria determines insulin sensitivity.
8. Your gut bacteria determine which foods you can digest.
9. Good bacteria eat the parts of food that we can't digest. Bad gut bacteria eat the nutrients that we need. Bad bacteria also eat our healthy cells.

Why do most people have too much bad gut bacteria?

1. Preservatives in processed food kill good gut bacteria.
2. Exercise is needed to keep good gut bacteria alive.
3. Good gut bacteria depend on natural, unprocessed food.
4. Stress has a negative effect on good gut bacteria.
5. Our guts need enough plain water to work properly.
6. Artificial flavors and colors harm our beneficial gut bacteria.
7. Sugar feeds bad gut bacteria that cause weight gain and disease.
8. Alcohol kills off good bacteria.
9. Antibiotics wipe out our gut bacteria.

How do you improve gut health?

1. Drink more plain water
2. Have herbal teas without sugar - good bacteria thrive on plant compounds.
3. Avoid excess sugar, alcohol, preservatives and artificial ingredients
4. Eat 5 fresh fruit and vegetables every day
5. Exercise has been shown to encourage good gut bacteria growth (due to an increase in fatty acids in the gut as fitness increases)
6. Reduce stress and get enough sleep.

Everything you need to know about gut health in an easy-to-save image

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Have a healthy gut

5. Sleep

Sleep is the most crucial part of your body's rest and recovery from everything that it goes through during the day. You cannot have a complete health strategy without this crucial component of the 7 healthy habits. Hormones like testosterone are regulated during sleep. Too little sleep can destroy your hormone balances. Sleep deprivation is associated with depression, obesity, diabetes, cancer and premature death.

One of the fastest ways to speed up recovery from exercise and illness is through sleep. People who don't get enough sleep are more prone to illnesses like colds and flu and are more likely to become over strained from exercise.

Sleeping patterns are genetic. Certain genes dictate how much sleep you need and what times you want to sleep or wake up (more information is in the link). You can use exercise to help correct your sleeping patterns like I did.

Additionally, sleeping too much is just as bad for you as not getting enough sleep.

How to get better sleep

This is how you can improve you sleeping quality:

1. Keep the same bed time routine every day.
2. Reduce lighting as much as you can before going to sleep.
3. An effective method to induce sleep is to try to stay awake.
4. Use breathing techniques that slow down your heart rate (exhale slowly to relax).
5. Take a hot bath or hot shower before you want to sleep. This relaxes your entire body.
6. Eat a nutritious meal before you sleep so that you won't be hungry through the night. Midnight snacking is unhealthy. Most experts recommend eating at least 2 hours before sleep.
7. Write down any stressful thoughts to stop them from keeping you awake.
8. Avoid screens that are designed to keep you awake - like computers, phones and television sets.
9. Take part in a relaxing activity like reading a book to calm your mind.

Easy sleep reminders

6. Mental Health

Mental health is one of the 7 healthy habits that you need to look after for better health. Learn why:

How mental health affects physical health

1. Stress lowers immunity, disrupts sleep and hampers muscle function.
2. Stress lowers the amount of good gut bacteria.
3. Dopamine (a feel good hormone) increases an individual's likelihood to make healthy decisions.
4. Low natural dopamine levels increase the likelihood of engaging in negative choices like eating unhealthy foods, drinking alcohol and partaking in addictive behaviors.
5. Serotonin (another feel-good hormone) directly affects your body's ability to recover from stress and physical damage.
6. Positivity increases your likelihood of doing activities that require motivation (like exercise and eating healthy).
7. Depression decreases energy levels, lowers sleep turnover (the rate of recovery that you get per hour of sleep) and makes you more prone to illnesses and disease.

How to improve mental health

The two most effective ways to deal with depression is to exercise and to care for an animal.

1. Exercise regularly
2. Eat healthy food - a healthy body makes you feel good
3. Drink enough water - dehydration increases fatigue and feelings of anxiety
4. Look after a pet or an animal
5. Nurture a friendship circle where you can be yourself - and where you can be there for others. (Loneliness is as dangerous to your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day).
6. Spend time on a hobby that you enjoy - and that relaxes you.
7. Find a purpose - do something that benefits your community or find a cause to fight for.
8. Help other people that have the same problems as you.
9. Learn to be vulnerable and talk to others. The emotionally healthiest people are open about how they feel.

Mental Health reminders

7. Hygiene

The last, but equally important, of the 7 healthy habits is hygiene. The single most important invention that is responsible for increased life expectancy worldwide is modern plumbing and hygiene. Hygiene can be divided into two parts: preventative hygiene and beneficial hygiene.

Preventative hygiene

- Brush your teeth and floss every day to keep your mouth clean of germs (The human mouth contains more germs than most animals).

- Flush the toilet regularly to dispose of germs that inhabit human waste.

- Regular baths keep the skin, our largest organ, clean. It will also keep our hair free from harmful germs.

Beneficial hygiene

- Hot baths or hot showers help to calm us down, relax our muscles and prepare us for good sleep.
- Cold showers are great at boosting metabolism and increasing energy levels.
- Both of these methods are effective at decreasing feelings of depression and improving markers of overall positivity.
- When you put effort into the way that you look, you feel better about yourself.
- Steam rooms and saunas can improve muscle recovery and reduce stress.

Hot and cold showers are good for you.

Follow these 7 healthy habits to turn your life around completely. Focus on all 7 of them to build a life that is complete when it comes to your health. I hope that you learnt a few interesting things while reading through this post. If you did, let me know in the comments below. Stay Strong!

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