How to Be Healthier – and Happier – Over the Holidays
By Cindi McMenamin
How healthy are you going into this holiday season?
While you can try to steer clear of germs, pump up the antioxidants, and even get your flu shots, one of the healthiest habits you can cultivate is to…
express a grateful heart. That’s right. Numerous studies exist that show a direct relationship between improved health and a positive, happy attitude toward life.
To be positive, in short, means to be grateful. To find the good in the bad. To be thankful in all things.
I’m sure God had our physical, as well as spiritual, health in mind when He inspired the Apostle Paul to write: “In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (First Thessalonians 5:18). Did you catch that? In everything give thanks. In the good times, as well as the bad. In the pleasantries of life, as well as in the pain. During difficult times, trying times, and frustrating times, too. When we’re thanking God, we’re focused on our blessings, rather than the bitterness of whatever else might be going on.
With the holidays coming, it’s easy to get stressed, so all the more reason to be a person of gratitude rather than bad attitude. I’ve found in my own life, that when I’m praising God in the pain — or just thanking Him during the mundane — it helps me become a person of gratitude in any circumstance. And that keeps me healthier and happier, over all.
Here are some simple prayers you can begin saying now to practice gratitude when the bad attitude starts seeping in to steal your joy, harm your relationships, and attack your health:
Thank you, God for the times You have said “no.”
They have helped me depend on You so much more.
Thank you, God, for unanswered prayer.
It reminds me that You know what’s best for me, even when my opinion differs from Yours.
Thank You, Lord, for the things you have withheld from me.
You have protected me from what I may never realize.
Thank You, God, for the doors You have closed.
They have prevented me from going where You would rather not have me go.
Thank you, Lord, for the physical pain You’ve allowed in my life.
It has helped me more closely relate to Your sufferings on my behalf.
Thank You, Father, that You know me, You hear me, and You see my tears.
Remind me through difficult times that You are God, You are on the throne, and You are eternally good.
Can you begin saying “Thank You” a few more time throughout your day?
You may find it lightens your load and makes you feel better, physically, as well.
Cindi McMenamin, is a wife to Hugh, a mom to Dana, and a national speaker and author of more than a dozen books, including her newest release, When God Sees Your Tears. She lives in San Diego, CA with her family. For more on her books and free resources to help you in your marriage, parenting, and individual walk with God, see her website: www.StrengthForTheSoul.com.
