Gratitude. It seems like such a simple, unsuspecting thing. And honestly it almost seems hard to believe anything so readily accessible and totally free could be so quietly and subtly powerful. Yet, it is. And under closer inspection, could even go so far as to say, it could be likened to a panacea for a healthy mind and better quality living. In this installation, we'll explore the hidden powers of gratitude, and why you could be using it to begin dissolving some of the issues that may be making your mental health, physical health and life (relationships too) a little harder, a little more uncomfortable, a little less healthy and unsatisfying.
Positive Psychology says there are fourteen benefits of practicing gratitude. They range from increased happiness and positive mood, to more satisfaction in life and relationships, to becoming less likely to experience burnout. Gratitude benefits also include better physical health, mental health, better sleep and lower levels of cellular inflammation, automatically boosting the immune system. The UCLA Mental Health Research Registry has collected data that suggest gratitude can reduce depression, lessen anxiety, support heart health, relieve stress and improve sleep. These are pretty big results for something that is free and accessible essentially anytime.
What I have found in my own life as a wellness/wholeness entrepreneur is quite lovely, but not so surprising. We all have tools that come as "standard issue" like cognition, focus, breathing, and the ability to decide that we can use daily for improvement of the quality of our lives and health, mental, physical and spiritual. Daily movement of your body, connecting with your breath and calming the mind and easing the body by paying attention and developing diaphragmatic breathing are great supports. Yet, what I love about gratitude, is that it pulls our deeper, inner qualities and abilities together and stacks them in a way that they can work to our best advantage. This is why I believe it is such a powerful and timeless practice and consistently cultivates positive experiences.
Gratitude captures our awareness, slows breathing, helps us focus, calms the mind and speaks through our hearts. It taps into our deepest most elemental foundations. It slows us down enough to see anew the graces that we all have in our everyday lives. Our minds, breath, the ability to be awake and rest through deep sleep. We have health, our friends, our family, cars in the garage, money to pay bills, food in the refrigerator, warm water in our baths and showers. We have the ability to control the temperatures in our homes at work and in our vehicles. We have a roof over our heads and a Creator watching over our lives. So what's the big deal about having these things? Imagine life without them. A true shock to the system because life would look and feel completely different without them.
What you will see if you look at gratitude in these ways is that speaking words of gratitude may not change anything on the outside, but it will certainly start changing everything on the "inside." Remember too, that those "inside" challenges we face in our daily lives cannot be "fixed" by what is on the outside. This is demonstrated through addictions, and need to constantly reach for that "fix" that never completely fixes. Gratitude changes mood and mental state: the place from which we make our life's decisions. Take that in. Gratitude also decreases stress that directly and positively affects our physical state, hormones, cortisol and the immune system. I liken it to a coming home to your authentic self, the place where you always feel fortunate, free and peaceful and isn't so concerned with egocentric desires, doesn't constantly need something else, and isn't coming from a place of lack. It comes from true abundance. So then, what would we say is the power of gratitude? It inspires, it elevates and heals perspective by uplifting and clarifying it. It is the pathway to peace and truth as is defined by Divine Love. That is power.
Getting into the habit of being grateful is worth cultivating. That is why you are invited to enjoy 10-weeks of Gratitude through June 30. This special 10-week series was created to help you build the habit through short, simple videos that you can speak along with as you hear them. Your words have such power, so speak aloud softly. We also encourage you to put your hand on your heart, close your eyes and repeat the 1 minute practices on loop. Let them sink in and do their good work in you. You will benefit greatly from the peace and calm they instill. If you are not already a subscriber of the Quiet Mountain Wellness YOUTube Channel, consider joining our community. If you are a subscriber, you will be notified when the new videos are released. Mondays at 5 AM EST. To get started on the Gratitude series, click here: https://quietmountainwellness.com/pages/thrive-2025
I am grateful for YOU,
Karen