How being Thankful is good for your Health

Categories: General Dentistry

being thankful is good for your healthScotts Valley and Santa Cruz, CA

Thanksgiving is a time to gather with friends and family, enjoy food, and count your blessings. What are you thankful for? Showing gratitude for the good things in your life is important. At Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry, we believe in the mouth-body connection—that good oral health plays a huge role in maintaining good overall health. We also believe in the importance of gratitude. Read on to find out why being thankful actually could improve your health!

Research has shown people who are grateful take better care of themselves

Mental health professionals concur that individuals who practice gratitude are more likely to show self-care. That means they are more likely to exhibit protective and proactive behaviors with regard to their health. These behaviors and habits may include getting regular exercise, eating a well-balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and maintaining a regular schedule of appointments with both their general physician and their dentist.

Gratitude relieves stress

High levels of stress can sabotage your health and literally cause illness. Medical research has linked stress levels to chronic diseases such as cardiac disease, cancer, and even autoimmune disorders. Being grateful and acknowledging the good things in your life help to make it easier to combat stress and the problems that crop up during day-to-day life.

Positivity and gratitude can strengthen your immune system

Recent research conducted by academics at the Universities of Utah and Kentucky found that people who exhibited higher optimism also had higher counts of the disease-fighting blood cells that are crucial to the proper function of the immune system. Recognizing the good things in your life, and being appreciative of them, literally can make you healthier.

Grateful people are better friends

A 2003 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that gratitude played an encouraging role in social interactions, specifically in helping others, lending emotional support, or assisting with problem solving. Being better at these things will strengthen your bonds with family, friends, and colleagues.

Learn ways to become more grateful

The New Year isn’t here yet, but any time of year you can make a positive change. Make the decision to become more optimistic and show more gratitude, starting today! Consider starting a journal, and write in it each night listing some things that make you feel grateful. You also could sit down and write a list of all the positive things in your life. Ask yourself how many of those things you might be taking for granted. Once completed, this list can be a daily reminder of all the good in your life. Changing your outlook also can be as simple as telling someone else why you are grateful for them and appreciate them. You may find that a little gratitude can go a long way!

Happy Thanksgiving from Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry

Our dentists, Dr. Ariana Ebrahimian and Dr. Max Ebrahimian, believe that providing top-of-the-line, comprehensive dental care also improves your overall well-being. We also believe in functional dentistry: not just treating the issues of the teeth, but also making sure that the jaw joints, orofacial muscles, and airway are working at optimum levels. If you would like to learn more about our services, call our office at (831) 438-4411 to schedule a consultation.

Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry is here to serve patients in the areas of Los Gatos, Santa Cruz, and Scotts Valley in California.