Day 6: Drop Some Gratitude Bombs

Dropping Gratitude Bombs on people around you actually not only helps them, it helps you and it makes you incredibly magnetic to the good in the Universe coming back to you from other people, things and other good energy! Besides that, it takes your mind off anything bad you've been dwelling on, especially if your weight and health have become something you see as a negative. Best of all, you can drop gratitude bombs almost anywhere on anyone,  social media is an especially easy place to surprise people with words of kindness and pictures of happiness. You can send someone a letter, flowers or a voicemail all from your phone, too (even while you're laying down). You can do something nice for someone at work, at school or even while you're out shopping. A gratitude bomb is basically doing or saying anything nice for anyone for no reason what so ever!

Yes, it feels awkward at first, because we're taught in subliminal language to keep score, "an eye for an eye" and "everything that comes around, goes around." Our culture has many of these sayings embedded in it, even the notion of karma, which seems to have become a code word for revenge when someone has wronged us, assures us that if someone does something to hurt us, they won't get away with it.

I want to challenge this notion about worrying about the score, I want to inspire you to become a gratitude bomber for your own sake, because you love to create good in the world and because it is GOOD FOR YOU! Focus on creating happiness in others, and you will surely become more happy yourself, you will become a force of good in this world that will be richly rewarded. If that's not enough, below are some physiological benefits to dropping gratitude bombs, which include assisting weight loss.

Gratitude can help improve health, strengthen the immune system, balance emotions and even help individuals lose weight. These benefits are proven and those persons who adopt an attitude of gratitude are more likely than those that do not, to experience the aforementioned benefits.

Gratitude Helps To:

Improve Health: People who approach life with an attitude of appreciation tend to be healthier.  These individuals, as a general rule, take better care of themselves. They make good decisions in regards to what they eat, whether or not they exercise and even visit the doctor on a more regular basis. This type of lifestyle naturally lends itself to, if not weight loss, certainly weight maintenance. It is much easier to maintain ones ideal weight when making healthy food choices on a regular basis.

Appreciating the good things in one’s life and even developing an appreciation for the things learned from going through difficult times, is one of the easier ways to improve health and physique. Learning to be appreciative is a simple thing to do, though admittedly, not always easy. For many of us, it’s more natural to lean toward being negative and pessimistic. Because of this, it is oftentimes necessary to make a concerted effort to be more positive and thankful.

Though Thanksgiving takes place only once a year, it would be quite beneficial, both physically and emotionally, to capture the spirit of the holiday and use it to fuel our daily lives.  If you are interested in a simple, sure-fire way to improve your health, try practicing gratitude on a consistent basis.

Strengthen The Immune System: Research has proven that stress and consistently, negative feelings weaken the immune system. The things that we think about and ruminate on are incredibly powerful. They can either build up our bodies or tear them down. It is wise to choose behaviors that will strengthen our bodies and give up those that are detrimental.

Our immune systems protect us against illness and disease. When it is weak, it is much easier to become sick. There are a myriad of things that can be done to build up our immune systems. Exercising on a regular basis, eating in a healthy manner and reducing the amount of stress that we experience are all good ways to improve our body’s natural defense system.

These behaviors are also conducive to weight loss. When we eat healthy foods, exercise and keep our stress levels in check, it is much easier to lose weight. More often than not, good mental health has a positive effect on our physical health.  Those things that we do to improve our emotional state help to keep our body strong and prevent illness as well.

In summary, being grateful is one way to improve ones immune system. When people make an effort to be appreciative and look on the positive sides of things, that optimism naturally strengthens the body’s built-in defense system. Even the number of blood cells whose job is to guard the immune system are more numerous in individuals who are more optimistic, according to Lisa Aspinwall, PhD, a University of Utah professor of psychology.

Balance Emotions: Gratitude is a very simple way to balance one’s emotions. When a person is pessimistic, they tend to feel sad more often and are emotionally imbalanced. This imbalance in emotion will affect every part of an individual’s life. A person who is sad all or most of the time is less productive in all facets of their existence. They are unable to perform as well as they could at work, at home and in their personal life.

Aid In Weight Loss: Being grateful can also help individuals lose weight. When people feel sorry for them self and begin to focus on the things that aren’t right in their life, they tend to engage in behaviors that are detrimental. They may overeat and consume foods that are bad for them. They may also find it difficult to conjure both the mental and physical strength necessary to exercise. When this behavior is ongoing, a person may begin to gain weight or find it difficult to lose it. Developing an attitude of gratitude can help replace negative habits with positive ones.

A good attitude is a natural energy booster. When a person feels more energetic, exercise becomes much easier. A positive disposition also lends itself to making better food choices. Many people are emotional eaters. When they feel bad, they eat to lift their mood. If a person is already happy, they are less susceptible to the temptation of overeating.

If your life has seemingly become overrun with negativity, it is time to do something about it. The simple act of changing your outlook can transform your life. Being grateful is a terrific place to begin. Start to count your blessings. List the things you are most proud of. Do this on a continuous basis and you will start to think differently. Your focus will change. Instead of being fixated on the negative things in your life, you’ll find that positive thoughts start to pop up and take center stage. Once this begins to occur, you are likely to notice that you feel more energized and you want to make decisions that lead to positive change. You may find yourself wanting to exercise more, eat better and better manage your stress. If weight loss is a result, you will likely be inspired to continue to behave in ways that are conducive to weight loss.  Because you feel better about yourself, your desire to act in ways to that have a positive impact on your life will increase.