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30 Days of Thankfulness Challenge

By November 1, 2017 January 28th, 2020 No Comments

What are you grateful for today? Friends, family, job, health, a house, pets, children — those are all great things to start with. Or what about fall foliage, hot sauce, indoor plumbing and a cozy sweater? Just look around you — we have a lot to be thankful for.

All that gratitude doesn’t just produce a warm, fuzzy feeling, it’s actually good for your health! In a 2013 study published in Personality and Individual Differences, researchers found that grateful people experience fewer aches and pains and report feel healthier than others.

 A 2011 study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being found that people who journaled for 15 minutes about what they were grateful for slept better than those who didn’t journal.

And researchers at UC Davis Emmons Lab have found that people who kept gratitude journals:

  • Exercised more regularly
  • Reported fewer physical complaints
  • Experienced better sleep quality and duration
  • Felt a greater sense of connection to others
  • Were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals
  • Had higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy
  • Felt better about their lives as a whole

To reap all of these benefits, all you need to do is record and take note of items you’re thankful for. Since Thanksgiving is in November (in the U.S.), LIVESTRONG.COM is hosting a daily gratitude challenge. Will you join us?