The Great Gift of Gratitude
- Stacey-Anne Bistak
- Nov 26
- 4 min read
How being thankful nourishes your health
Thanksgiving in North America has been celebrated since the 16th century.
In Canada, the original Thanksgiving was celebrated by mariner and explorer, Sir Martin Frobisher and his surviving crew in 1578 in Nunavut, after they finally landed at what’s now Frobisher Bay, after battling violent storms. It was a Mass with Communion led by Chaplain Robert Wolfall, who entreated the congregation to give thanks to God for their miraculous rescue in this strange and dangerous land.
The first Thanksgiving in the United States commemorated one year of surviving harsh conditions by the Pilgrims who had arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. Their successful harvest called for their first thanksgiving feast.
And it’s in gratitude for bountiful harvests that most thanksgiving feasts around the world are celebrated today. Why do humans feel the need to give thanks?
We have that innate knowledge that not all the good that comes our way is due to our own effort. Yes, our own effort plays a huge role, but we never really do something solely on our own. All the conditions and situations at the conceptualization of that good thing and through its encouragement and blossoming and growing, must be just right. The right resources, the right people, and the right processes at the right times yield the wonderful result at the end.
As mere mortals, we are never in control of all these conditions and situations. It can only be someone much more powerful than ourselves who can orchestrate all things in harmony when our intentions for that good thing to come to fruition are, in fact, good. And it’s no other than our Creator, the Almighty, who is the Master Conductor. Why? Just look at the functioning of our bodies that goes on without us paying attention to any of the biological, chemical, and physical processes, absorption and assimilation of nutrients with enzymes and reactions, energy production, protein folding, neuron signaling, and much more—all happening faster than the speed of light, every moment of every day and night!
So, yes, acknowledging help and being grateful for it is part of human nature. As Psalm 145:10 says. “All creatures praise the Lord and give thanks’
But do you know that giving thanks comes with benefits?
Your digestive system is happier than a bouncing, wagging puppy dog
Usually, when celebrating Thanksgiving, we give thanks while sharing a meal with family and friends. How fitting, then, that the very act of giving thanks, in fact, helps our digestion.
You may have heard of the sympathetic state or the “fight-or-flight” state. That’s a state when we’re on guard, anxious, with our stress hormones soaring, and blood shunted away from our digestive system, so that we can defend, attack, or take flight.
On the other hand, the parasympathetic state or the “rest and digest” state is one of calm, restfulness, enabling us to process pleasant thoughts and emotions, tamping down our stress levels, and allowing blood to flow towards our central organs. This allows digestive enzymes to be released as they should, to break down food, and it facilitates the processes to absorb and assimilate the food we take in.
Expressing thanks or just being grateful to someone or for something can put us in the parasympathetic state, which is such a prerequisite to digestion. This calm state induced by thankfulness has also been shown to increase the proliferation of good bacteria that comprise our microbiome. A healthy microbiome ensures healthy digestion, healthy moods, and a smart and alert immune system.
Depression takes a nosedive
A University of New England meta-analysis found that there was a high correlation between gratitude and a lower incidence of depression in people of all ages.
Your emotions are in balance, and people are drawn to you
You notice your relationships flourish, your conversations get deeper, and new relationships bud and flower.
You sleep like a baby
In a study done in 2011, students were asked to write down things they were grateful for in a journal for 15 minutes every evening. It was found to help them worry less at bedtime and sleep longer and better as a result.
A hearty heart controls your upbeat cardiovascular system
It goes without saying that stress stresses the cardiovascular system. A parasympathetic state of calm (as induced by gratitude, as we saw earlier) helps blood vessels relax and blood flow more efficiently. This state also counters the production of oxidative damage that is caused by the opposite state of stress. The walls of blood vessels are therefore spared as a result. With no damage to the blood vessels, plaque deposition is reduced, also allowing blood to flow more freely. Gratitude is the oil for the wonderful machine that your cardiovascular system is. Every day, a little dab will do, and your cardiovascular system will run like it’s as good as new.
An attitude of gratitude makes us more aware of the good things in life.
Thank you for reading my post! Happy Thanksgiving! To get more practical health tips from me on a bi-weekly basis, and to get a free gift on sign-up, visit this page: Free Gift. DISCLAIMER: The content I share is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. If you purchase products linked from these blog posts, I may receive a percentage of the proceeds. These affiliations help to support my work.
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