Gratitude

It’s time to celebrate Thanksgiving. This is not only a time when we get together with family and friends and eat lots of delicious food, but it is also a time to give thanks and be grateful.

Gratitude, from the Latin gratus, meaning “pleasing or grateful,” is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness, as well as better physical and mental health. There has actually been a great deal of research done on the effects of gratitude and the list of its benefits is almost endless. Perhaps this would be a good time to review some of the benefits of gratitude and to consider some advice on how to practice gratitude in daily life.

Studies show the following benefits of gratitude:

• Gratitude improves happiness
• Gratitude improves sleep quality
• Gratitude improves self-esteem
• Gratitude leads to more helpfulness and empathy
• Gratitude improves resilience
• Practicing gratitude makes you more optimistic and helps you feel better about your life
• Grateful people are more hopeful and healthier
• Gratitude improves relationships
• Gratitude boosts the immune system

Gratitude helps us focus on what we have instead of what we lack. The practice of gratitude does not come easily to everyone and sometimes it is difficult to feel grateful but it is a feeling that can be developed. Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude:

• Write a thank-you note. Help make yourself and another person happy too by writing a thank you note to someone who had a positive impact on your life.
• Thank someone mentally. If you are too busy to write a note, just think of someone who did something nice and thank them in your mind.
• Keep a gratitude journal. One way to bring more of the positive effects of gratitude into your life is to keep a gratitude journal. Write down three things that you are grateful for before you go to bed.
• Count your blessings. Counting blessings is something that can be done either in writing or just in your head. Listing all the good things in your life and all the ways you are fortunate can be an effective way to experience thepleasant feeling of gratitude.
• Pray. If you are religious, giving thanks through prayer is a way to cultivate gratitude.
• Meditate. Meditation is a way to practice awareness of the present moment and bring more peace and balance into one’s life. Gratitude can be an object of meditation by focusing on what you’re grateful for. Make gratitude a habit!

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