November is recognized as Gratitude Month, a month that is dedicated to giving thanks. Over the last few years, I have learned to value the virtue of gratitude and have encouraged many to develop the daily habit of listing five things for which they are grateful. I recognize that maintaining a positive attitude is easier for some than others, primarily because of one’s genes. Some people might be like Therese J. Borchard who, in the beginning, had to force gratitude into her life by writing only about very simple things for which she was thankful (e.g., cream cheese and bagel). After the birth of her second child, she suffered from severe depression and found it very difficult to identify things for which she was grateful. To read more about her journey, she has written the book, Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes.
There are many articles and books that help to remind us of the importance and power of gratitude. One example was the Gratitude Campaign that Scott Truitt began a few years ago. In this campaign, individuals were taught a simple gesture that shows their gratitude to servicemen and women in uniform by placing one’s hand over one’s heart when they pass them in public areas, such as airports or malls. Even in the Jimmy Stewart movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, it appears evident that often our greatest opportunities for gratitude come when we are in deep despair or after experiencing adversity of some kind.
Why is it so important to express gratitude? In 1998, Michael McCullough and Robert Emmons began researching gratitude and its role in happiness. They found “scientific evidence that when people regularly engage in the systematic cultivation of gratitude, they experience a variety of measurable benefits: psychological, physical, and interpersonal” (Emmons, 2007, pg. 3). Before this time, it was viewed that each of us had a “set-point” of happiness that could not be reset or altered. Their findings confirmed that by exercising gratitude, happiness could be increased. In addition, Stephen Post and Jill Neimark, authors of Why Good Things Happen to Good People, describe how gratitude can improve a person’s physical health. They reported that by focusing just 15 minutes each day on things for which you are grateful, the body’s natural antibodies could be increased.
What are some ways that gratitude can be exercised?
How can children be encouraged to be grateful?
Adversities will invariably occur in our lives, but if gratitude is exercised, we can be happier, healthier and live a more fulfilled life. To cultivate gratitude, recognize that it is an intentional activity; we may not “feel” grateful at first. But, as Emmons suggests, our happiness is not entirely due to a preset disposition or based on the “good” things we receive in life. By practicing gratitude daily, steady progress can be made toward increased happiness and an improved sense of well-being.
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