by Toshi Hirano, MS, ATC, CES

Thanksgiving may be behind us, but what if we carried its spirit forward every day? Imagine harnessing the spirit of gratitude we feel around the holiday—taking time to reflect, give thanks, and connect—and carrying it into every day. Gratitude isn’t just a nice sentiment; it’s a powerful tool for improving physical and emotional health.

Studies show that gratitude improves many aspects of your life including emotional health, connection to others, and numerous physical benefits such as sleep quality, heart health, and immune responsiveness. Gratitude enhances health, brings happiness — and may even lengthen lives.

What Is Gratitude?

Gratitude is an emotion similar to appreciation and thankfulness, when we acknowledge all the good in our lives. Heartwarming in action, gratitude produces a number of ‘happy’ chemicals throughout our body when it is intentionally practiced. Additionally, according to the Mindfulness Awareness Research Center at UCLA, making a habit of showing gratitude can actually change the neural pathways in our brain, leading to improved mood, motivation, and happiness.

The same study found daily gratitude linked to lower risk of heart disease, better sleep, and reduced stress and chronic pain.

It’s easy to get caught up in the negative aspects of our lives and focus on what’s missing. However, when the ‘bad’ in our lives seems to outweigh the good, we can practice recognizing people, opportunities, and circumstances that bring us joy. Often, when we take the time to really consider all that’s going well for us, the ‘bad’ things don’t seem as monumental as we once thought.

Daily Practice

Here are some tips you can start to use today to practice gratitude:

Write in a gratitude journal – At the end of each day, write 3-5 things that you are thankful for. It doesn’t need to be a big event. It could be the warm sun on your face or the cup of coffee you enjoyed in the morning. Save the journal and look back at it whenever you need a reminder of all the good in your life.

Give thanks often – Recognize moments of appreciation and express this to others. You can verbally share your thankfulness, send a text, write a thank you card, give a gift, or simply sit with that thankfulness and the optimism it brings. This also creates a meaningful moment of connection to the one who receives thanks.

Experience more peace – Give yourself time to experience calmness and peace within your life. You can spend time meditating or listening to calming music in a quiet room, taking a nature walk on a cool morning, or simply slowing down to enjoy any other small moments we often miss. Remember, true peace and happiness come when we take the time to intentionally recognize all the good in our life.

Toshi Hirano, MS, ATC, CES || Toshi has been a Certified Athletic Trainer since 2009. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a BS and the University of Northern Iowa with a MS. He loves to cook, spend time outdoors mountain biking in the summer and skiing in the winter. Toshi lives in central Illinois with his wife Whitney and two daughters Luna and Mia.

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