Gratitude is more than a fleeting emotion; it is a powerful tool for cultivating positivity and transforming our overall well-being. By adopting gratitude practices, we can clear negative energy and embrace a more balanced, holistic lifestyle. This article, brought to you by MysticMag, explores expert insights into how gratitude fosters emotional and physical healing, paving the way for a positive outlook on life. From improved mental clarity to enhanced relationships, gratitude’s impact is profound and far-reaching. Through the wisdom shared by experts, discover how integrating gratitude into your daily life can help eliminate negativity and promote inner harmony.
Transformational Life Coach, Andy Grant: “Gratitude Is So Powerful”
Andy Grant, a Transformational Life Coach, answers what is the connection between gratitude and physical health, particularly its role in reducing stress-related conditions:
“Gratitude is so powerful it can affect your physical health, especially stress-related symptoms. Everything physical begins in energy, in vibration. Expressing gratitude for all the things you appreciate in your life makes you feel good. That positive energy uplifts your mood, can sharpen your mind, and improve your overall health. Gratitude helps lower cortisol levels, the hormone associated with stress. Fostering a mindset of appreciation tempers the body’s stress response.
Expressing gratitude, such as keeping a gratitude journal, can improve sleep quality. Restful sleep plays a vital role in physical recovery and reducing stress-related fatigue. Gratitude has also been linked to enhanced immune function. Stress suppresses the immune system, leaving the body more vulnerable to illness. Gratitude counteracts this by promoting positive emotions associated with a more robust immune response. People who practice gratitude even report lower levels of perceived physical pain.
Gratitude decreases the likelihood of anxiety and depression, which are often accompanied by physical manifestations like headaches, digestive issues, and muscle tension. Less mental stress translates to fewer physical symptoms.
One of my favorite things about developing a gratitude practice is that gratitude has NO barrier to entry—nothing you need to buy or invest in. Incorporating gratitude practices, such as reflecting on things you’re thankful for, journaling, or sharing appreciation with others, can be a simple and effective way to improve physical health and reduce the impacts of stress.”
Energy Healer, Sharon Wilson: “The Key Is Gratitude”
How does practicing gratitude influence stress levels and contribute to better physical health? That’s the question Sharon Wilson, an energy healer, has answered:
“Sometimes, as we navigate our life paths, we find ourselves enmeshed in various cycles of trauma and drama. These are often powerful experiences that demand and command huge amounts of our attention and are frequently the source of considerable stress and its resultant impacts on our well-being and health. How do we mitigate the effects of stress?
Gratitude.
Most of us have, at one point or another, indulged in lamenting about our rough lot in life. Abraham-Hicks says, “Gratitude is the fastest way to shift your vibrations.” To shift our vibration from stress to better levels of health is merely a matter of redirecting our focus.
We are aware of the concept of energy flowing to where our attention goes. As creators of our experience, we can understand that the lamenting is taking us in the wrong direction – toward more stress. The key is gratitude. We must recognize and appreciate what we do have, such as the lessons, opportunities, refinement and growth inherent in every challenge we face. We can also appreciate what we have experienced already and the progress we’ve made so far.
It’s easy to feel appreciative when we’re feeling good and things are going well. However, we can choose to be grateful even in the midst of a crisis. Practicing gratitude by focusing our attention on that which supports our well-being, health, and happiness brings more of the same as well as providing a powerful way of coping with and reducing stress.”
Spiritual Teacher, Jeff Vander Clute: “Life Will Heal Each of Us”
Jeff Vander Clute, Spiritual Teacher, Guide, and Mentor, shares how gratitude practices can improve overall physical well-being, including sleep, immunity, and energy levels:”
“When we look deeply through mystical eyes into the essence of gratitude, we see that gratitude is always appreciation and thankfulness for the Divine – the Divine within us, the Divine in the world, the Divine everywhere. To be grateful for the Divine is to open ourselves more fully to life and to the source of life. By practicing gratitude, we strengthen our connection to the sacred life force and we become more receptive to the energy and consciousness of aliveness.
The root cause of any lack of health or well-being is always disconnection from life and from the Source. To be disconnected from life is to be disconnected from the Source. To be disconnected from the Source is to be disconnected from our true, loving, divine nature. To be disconnected in any way from who and what we really are is to be profoundly sick. Therefore, the reconnective power of gratitude is fundamentally healing. Over time, the consistent practice of gratitude heals our personal and professional relationships, our communities, and our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health down to the cellular and subcellular levels.
In my own experience, I have found that life responds rapidly to gratitude. As just one example, on a clear day a few years ago I made a tobacco offering on Blanca Peak, in the U.S. state of Colorado, to express my gratitude for the land in that area. Within seconds a single clap of thunder came seemingly from out of nowhere – or, rather, from the benevolent forces of nature reciprocating my gratitude. On that day I learned that once enough of us are living in gratitude, we will be amazed by how quickly and potently life responds. Life will heal each of us and the world as a whole. Our gratitude holds the key.”
Yoga Teacher, Marni Task: “Gratitude Restores Your Body”
Marni Task, Yoga Teacher and Life Coach, explains how gratitude practices can improve sleep quality and promote restorative rest:
“Years ago, I learned a phrase: “Have an attitude of gratitude.” Later, during my Anusara Yoga training, I discovered the “3 A’s” one of the key elements in the methodology: attitude, alignment, and action. While yoga often looks like it’s all about poses and perfect alignment, my teachers always reminded me: that you might not always balance or nail a pose, but you can always shift your attitude to gratitude.
Gratitude isn’t just feel-good fluff—it’s a powerful tool for better sleep and deep, restorative rest. Here’s why.
When you focus on gratitude—through journaling, reflecting, or simply noticing what you’re thankful for—you shift away from stress and mental clutter. This calms the mind, reduces cortisol (the stress hormone), and boosts serotonin, which supports relaxation and sleep. You don’t need a pen and paper to do it (though writing helps solidify those positive feelings). Even when things are tough, you can pivot to gratitude, finding peace in small blessings.
Gratitude also fosters emotional resilience. A positive outlook prevents negative thought spirals, like rehashing your day or worrying about tomorrow. Try brushing your brain with gratitude while brushing your teeth—reflecting on what went well primes your mind for sleep.
A simple way to start? Write down three things you’re grateful for before bed. It could be as small as a kind word or as big as a goal achieved. Over time, gratitude can transform your routine, helping you drift off peacefully and wake up truly refreshed.
Simply said, gratitude doesn’t just soothe your mind—it restores your body.”
Somatic Practitioner, Emma Sartwell: “Gratitude Promotes the Release of Oxytocin”
Emma Sartwell, Somatic Practitioner, shares an answer to the question: How does gratitude interact with the body’s ability to heal and recover from illness or injury?
“Gratitude significantly influences the body’s ability to heal by modulating stress and promoting positive physiological responses. When we practice gratitude, it shifts our focus from what’s wrong to what’s right. Evolutionarily, we humans are wired to notice what’s wrong — this would keep us safe if we were in a beautiful environment, but there was some shifting in the trees, which might turn out to be a predator. However, we can train and rewire ourselves more and more to notice what’s not wrong — what’s working, and what there is to be grateful for.
By learning to practice gratitude, we reduce the production of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Chronically elevated cortisol levels can suppress the immune system, slow wound healing, and exacerbate inflammation, all of which hinder recovery from illness or injury. Gratitude helps maintain lower cortisol levels, fostering a more balanced internal environment conducive to healing.
Moreover, gratitude promotes the release of oxytocin, often called the “bonding hormone” or “love hormone.” Oxytocin plays a crucial role in reducing inflammation, improving mood, and enhancing social connection—all factors that support recovery. Elevated oxytocin levels have also been linked to lower blood pressure, improved cardiovascular function, and enhanced immune responses.
In essence, gratitude initiates a positive feedback loop: reduced stress hormones decrease physiological strain, while increased oxytocin supports emotional well-being and physical repair processes. This holistic impact on both mind and body creates an optimal state for healing and recovery.”
Holistic Psychotherapist, Kirsten Louise Guest: “Change Your Lenses”
Kirsten Louise Guest, Holistic Psychotherapist & Spiritual Coach, explains how practicing gratitude affects lifestyle choices, such as exercise, nutrition, and hydration:
“Being in gratitude gives us the positive energy to want to take good care of ourselves. This includes lifestyle choices that are good for us such as hydration, nutrition, and exercise.
When we are in a state of being grateful, (being in the positive), we are relaxing our nervous system. When we do this, we relax, we open. The opposite of this is to be in the negative and taking things for granted. When we do this, we upset our nervous system, and we shut down. Imagine your hand, when your palm is open, everything can flow. When you hand is in a tight fist, everything gets stuck.
This is how I want you to think of being grateful. When you are in gratitude things flow, creativity can happen, change can happen, you feel joy, your energy increases. This is why when we are grateful, we want to take care of ourselves.
But how do we become grateful?
Be grateful is being in appreciation for what you have, who you have in your life, and for especially for the little things around you. The best way to get into gratitude is to be present and be in the here and now. Go outside and smell the air, look at the little things that you never see. The color of the flowers, the bee pollinating the flower. See and feel nature, touch the tree trunk, feel the fuzzy flower petals. Look at how beautiful the sky is. Change your lenses and tell yourself to look for what is beautiful and positive about what you experience.”
Conclusion
Gratitude serves as a beacon of positivity, guiding us toward a healthier, more harmonious life. By incorporating gratitude into our routines, we can counteract negativity, enhance emotional well-being, and create a foundation for holistic growth. Let these expert insights inspire you to make gratitude an essential part of your journey.
CREDITS:
Andy Grant | Andy Grant | www.theandygrant.com
Sharon Wilson | Dragon Feathers | www.dragonfeathers.wixsite.com/corvallis
Jeff Vander Clute | JeffVanderClute | www.jeffvanderclute.com
Marni Task | Marni Task | www.marnitask.com
Emma Sartwell | Somatic Spiritual Counseling | www.somaticspiritualcounseling.com
Kirsten Louise Guest | Kirsten Guest | www.kirstenguest.com
