Healthy Habit #7: Daily Gratitude
In my list of the Top 10 Habits to Get Healthy Value for Your Time, here is number 7:
Take a few minutes every day to be consciously grateful for good things in your life.
Many things in my life have been difficult over the past couple of years. I've experienced loss, grief, physical and emotional pain. Are there any of you out there who have not?
What keeps us from sinking into despair when things are hard?
I believe that it's gratitude for the good things in our lives (which forces us to recognize that there are always good things, no matter how hard things seem.) This comes naturally to some people; for others of us, the "glass-half-empty" people, it's a habit that we have to learn and practice.
There have been days when the only gratitude I could think of was "I'm thankful that there's a roof over my head and food on the table." It seemed small at the moment, but when I turned my awareness to it, I recognized that having adequate shelter and food are incredible blessings which I have taken for granted every day of my life. It made the things that were going wrong seem pretty small by comparison.
In coaching lingo, gratitude creates a shift so that we view our situation from a more positive perspective. From a more positive perspective, we can see more options. With more options, we feel more in control of our lives.
In the language of mind-body medicine, gratitude decreases the production of stress hormones and lowers blood pressure, improving our health.
From a practical standpoint, though, what I know is that gratitude makes me feel better. And that's reason enough to do it.
Because it's hard to see the good things when you're feeling down, it's important to cultivate a daily practice of gratitude which gets you in the habit of seeking out things to be thankful for. Even if they're as simple as the roof over your head and the food on your table.
Here are five simple gratitude practices to get you started:
- Keep a gratitude journal. Every evening, write down at least 5 things that you are thankful for. At first, you may write the same 5 things every day. That's fine. You will begin to see more over time.
- When you sit down to dinner with your family, go around the table and ask each person to share one thing they're thankful for. Your 5-year-old may say, "I'm thankful that you let me have a cookie after school." That's fine. There are no right answers, and sometimes it's good to recognize the little things.
- Notice how many times each day you say "thank you" to someone. Say it with meaning.
- With young children, read The Berenstain Bears Count Their Blessings. Help your children count their blessings. You'll have to give them examples, so it will make you more conscious of your own blessings.
- If you like high-tech gratitude, check out the iPhone app Live Happy. It allows you to keep a gratitude journal on your iPhone, complete with pictures. They're handy to review later when you need a boost.
Today, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to share my thoughts on gratitude with you, and I would love to hear how you practice gratitude.
Melissa H. Kennedy
Reader Comments (7)
Hi Melissa, thanks for sharing this, it's a good reminder to get us into the habit of being grateful for what we have. Personally I am a frequent silent thanker but voice gratitude to my wife and children every day.
@Steven, great point! Some of us do just fine with silent gratitude for our own benefit but it's always important to verbally express our gratitude for the other people in our lives. That's good for all concerned!
Thanks Melissa for sharing your thoughts and ideas about gratitude.
Like you I have had a very challenging 2 years during which time I lost my father and my best friend in very sad circumstances.
What has kept me going and got me through has been the support of close friends and family and also the appreciation of all the many good things around me.
I practice gratitude by keeping a journal which I call me "Give and Get Book" - I write down all the gifts I have received from friends and also the gifts I have shared with them - looking back it is always amazing how much one receives!
@Arvind, I'm sorry for your losses. I love your idea of the "Give and Get Book." When things are hard it's easy to forget to be grateful for the gifts we are able to give others. These are blessings as much as the gifts we receive. Thank you for sharing this.
I can truly say I feel gratitude every day for life. Seems to be genetic. I feel gratitude even for pain. I don't know why. But I agree, it does make life much better.
Hi Melissa,
I saw your latest post on Facebook and came here to read the rest while I ate dinner at my desk (leftover Spagetti Squash and Turkey meatballs, yum!)
I have started to try to find five things to be grateful for about the things that upset me; like a flat tire, or a long line or a crabby kid. It isn't as hard as it may seem, and it really changes my perspective. There is research to validate that gratitude changes your brian functioning, and as I continue this practice, it becomes harder for me to find things to complain about.
Thanks for your posts! I will share it with others.
Lisa
@Lisa, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree with you that there is often a way to find gratitude for the things that bother us: "I'm thankful that I'm not as rushed as that guy who just cut me off on the road." When I remember to do this, it always lightens my mood and changes my perspective.