THE BENEFITS OF PRACTICING GRATITUDE
We all know this year is unlike any other. You may be feeling a serious lack of gratitude as we remain isolated for the holidays. The struggle to cope with an altered COVID world can be isolating and exhausting.
However, this makes it an ideal time to practice gratitude for physical and mental health!
JOURNALING
The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology reports that in an experimental comparison, those who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercise more regularly, report fewer physical symptoms, and feel better about their lives as a whole. Additionally, they are more optimistic about the upcoming week AND are more likely to achieve personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based) compared to those who record hassles or neutral life events (Robert Emmons & Michael McCullough, 2003-2006).
Alternatively, studies show that individuals experiencing physical, mental, or emotional pressure (i.e. psychological stress) are more susceptible to health problems. The National Cancer Institute reports that people who experience intense and long-term stress can have digestive problems, fertility problems, urinary problems, headaches, viral infections, depression, anxiety, and a weakened immune system. Evidence from experimental studies also suggests that psychological stress can affect a cancer tumor’s ability to grow and spread.
EXPRESSION
Further, motivational speakers and spiritual advisers also propose a gratitude philosophy. Zig Zigler believes “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.”
Just the simple act of verbally expressing who and/or what you’re grateful for leads to greater feelings of gratitude. You are then able to recognize the blessings in your life.
SELF-DEFINITION
Develop a self-described definition of yourself as a ‘grateful person’. Practice and create a default in your psyche to this definition and act on it. If you default to a place of gratitude when in an uncomfortable or disappointing situation, you are much more likely to remain calm and find the ‘silver lining’.
Conversations With God author Neale Donald Walsch states, “Every act is an act of self-definition.” Therefore, “Everything we think, say, and do is a demonstration of our highest and our most sacred values and spiritual beliefs.”
Walsch believes we are “lost as a civilization” if we do not practice this standard.
So, how do you define yourself?
If you choose to NOT practice gratitude, the alternative is thanklessness and/or indifference. Then, we ARE truly lost as a society…
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