Creative Child November 2019 | Page 37

The simplest way to enhance gratitude is by keeping a gratitude journal. Five minutes a day can change your child’s life. Here are 10 reasons why it’s so important to instill the habit of gratitude in our children. Gratitude makes us healthier. Research has showed us time and time again that those who engage in practicing gratitude feel less pain, go to the doctor less often, have lower blood pressure and are less likely to develop be depressed. People who practice gratitude are also more likely to exercise. Gratitude helps us sleep better. Gratitude has been shown to increase sleep quality, the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, and increases sleep duration. That’s because envy and pessimism beget anxiety, which keeps us awake. Gratitude cuts at the very core of anxiety and helps us sleep more peacefully. One study showed that patients with chronic pain conditions who were assigned a daily gratitude journal slept half an hour more than their control group. Gratitude stems envy. You know those incessant complaints? “Why does she get more?” “It’s not fair.” “He’s just better at it than I am.” Well, gratitude can help nip envy in the bud by focusing on what we do have and how others have helped us achieve and attain things. 36