The people of Okinawa give thanks for the smallest of details. They give thanks to their ancestors, nature for providing the air and food, and their family and friends. They even have a special Naha (tug of war) festival to give thanks for a good harvest.
Gratitude has consistently been associated with positive outcomes. One study conducted by the University of Berkeley, California, divided participants into three groups and asked them to maintain a journal for ten weeks. One group was asked to write a list of 10 circumstances they were grateful for over the past week. The second group was asked to list ten minor annoyances in the past week. The third group was asked to write about ten factors that impacted their lives in the past week, but with no further direction. At the end of 10 weeks, people from the first group reported feeling 25% happier than the other groups.
Apart from increasing your happiness levels, gratitude also improves your physical health. It lowers stress levels. Stress is associated with heart attacks and other chronic conditions but can be reduced by adopting gratitude and encouraging optimism. Optimism increases immunity-boosting cells.
You can start being grateful by keeping a gratitude journal. Pick three to five things you're thankful for daily and write them down. For example, you could be grateful for your friends, family, material goods, or health. When we are genuinely thankful and feel it deep inside us, we are grateful.
