Even in the dead of winter the hearty dandelion thrives! We should all be more like a dandelion.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to type when the tips of your fingers are peeling? It kind of does hurt like hell. I have no idea what is going on. During past winters I’ve had the typical problems with cracking that many people experience but never where a thin layer of skin peels off, leaving that sensitive pink interior revealed. It does limit my ability to work. Like I really need another something limiting my ability to work. 🙁
Speaking of work – how about that smooth segue. 🙂 – currently, I’m editing a book that addresses the importance of creating a balance of mind, body, and Spirit for physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual good health.
One of the things stressed in the book is the vital role that is played by a gratitude practice. That basically means taking time to focus on the things that one is grateful for, and to verbalize that appreciation whether out loud or on paper. Perhaps even say a ‘thank you’ to a person for whom we’re grateful and tell them why, and/or expressing thanks to a higher power for having that person in our lives, as well as other blessings we attribute to the God we worship.
WellRight.com has an article that lists five benefits of gratitude work.
Number one is that it can alleviate pain.
Number two is that gratitude improves health. There was a study of heart failure patients in which half of them were asked to keep a gratitude journal and the other half received just the normal treatment. In follow-up, it was noted that the indicators of future heart failure, such as inflammation, were significantly reduced for the group that wrote in the journals.
The third benefit is how it can help with sleeping. A study from 2011 indicated that people who ended their day by acknowledging what they were grateful for had good benefits. Participants in the study noted that they were getting more sleep and feeling refreshed in the morning, and almost half of them said that they were able to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
The fourth benefit listed at WellRight is that gratitude work can be a significant aid in our attempts to adopt heathier eating. The practice can help control that emotional impulse that we all have to eat snack food as a salve when we’re down in the dumps. We had a crap day so we deserve this bag of chips. Or this ice cream. Or this greasy bag of fries.
According to Jill Woodward at Treo Wellness.com “The way we eat is not only because of a physical hunger but is even more largely influenced by the state of our mental health.”
The fifth benefit comes from how a gratitude practice can make changes in our brains. Studies have shown that thankfulness can ease depression, as well as help control emotions, such as envy and resentment, that can be harmful for our mental and emotional health.
Dr. Anna Cabeca, known as The Girlfriend Doctor is a board certified OB/GYN and she spoke recently with podcast host Pedram Shojai, The Urban Monk, mentioning the specific effects of cortisol in the body – an acidic element – and how gratitude practices that increase oxytocin in the system alkalizes the body. “A healthy body is a more alkaline body.”
Cortisol is an essential hormone that affects almost every organ and tissue in our bodies. It plays an important role in regulating our body’s response to stress and our metabolism, as well as regulating blood pressure and blood sugar. It also suppresses inflammation. Our bodies continuously monitor cortisol levels to keep them steady. When the level goes too high or two low it can have significant effects on our health.
Prior to an incidence when my level of cortisol went dangerously low, I didn’t know that the adrenal glands above our kidneys produce a natural steroid, which is the element that does all that good in a human body. The endocronologist I saw pointed out that because I’d recently received steroid injections in my hip, as well as had a course of steroids to help with an increase in the pain from trigeminal neuralgia, my adrenal glands had decided that, “Okay. Time to take a break. We don’t have to do any work right now.”
Those weren’t his exact words, but pretty close to them and I liked the way he explained things so the facts were easily understood. In fact, he had a great sense of humor and I was a little disappointed that I didn’t need to see him again if my cortisol levels went back to normal, which they did.
So a word of caution. Use steroids sparingly when you have to, and it you don’t have to, then maybe not at all.
Doctors and researchers are finding out more and more information on how the chemicals and hormones in our bodies work together – or don’t – in regard to our overall health. When the chemicals and hormones are not playing nicely with each other, that can lead to physical and mental health issues, which underscores the importance of doing all we can to boost positivity in our daily lives and brings us back to gratitude work
In this most distressing time in American government, perhaps we would all benefit from taking my client’s advice to heart.
Give gratitude a try. You might like it.
That’s all from me for today folks. Whatever the rest of your weekend has in store, I hope it includes people and things that bring you joy. Be safe. Be happy. “Be yourself. Everybody else is taken.” Oscar Wilde
