Rx for Life: Gratitude

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Rx for Life: Gratitude

If you want to change your life, you need to change your attitude. This may seem overly simplistic, but it’s true. Even research studies now support the importance gratitude plays in our life.

We choose our attitude towards life. Even when life presents us with challenges, we can choose to be stopped and wallow in our upsets, or we can choose to be grateful for the growth that comes from overcoming or learning from those challenges and be thankful for the blessings in our life.

Gratitude is something so simple and so powerful yet so often ignored. When was the last time you let people around you know how grateful and thankful you are for the little things they add to your life? How often do you pause each day to be thankful for the little things that make your life a little easier (heat, electricity, comfortable clothes, delicious food, etc.). It is so easy these days to get caught up in the struggles and the drama of daily life. Yet when you pause and reflect on all the blessings our life has (even those that may be blessings in disguise), you are able to put things into perspective and find harmony and balance among the stress and challenges.

Simple Gratitude Exercises:

Gratitude Journal - Keep a journal or small notepad by your bed. Each night before you go to bed, write down 5 things you are thankful for that day. You should be able to find blessings even on the worst of days. When you really let yourself take in all you have to be grateful for, it allows you to put into perspective what is most important to you and to let go the trivial things that can often suck up so much energy.
Practice Random Acts of Kindness – When was the last time you paid someone a compliment or held a door open for them just because? When was the last time you thanked a co-worker or loved one and let them know their assistance, work, support is appreciated? Making even the smallest gestures of kindness and gratitude towards others does a world of good for them and for you. The key is to do it from a place of true gratitude and not because you expect to get things in return. Try to do something every day.
On-the-Spot Gratitude – The next time you find yourself in a stressful situation, are angry, or hurt, try to pause for 30-60 seconds as you take some deep breaths and find something to be grateful for. For example, if you are arguing with someone, perhaps you could be grateful that the situation is out in the open – even if it’s unpleasant. Or if you’re stuck in traffic, try being grateful for a song on the radio, the sunshine, or that you are fortunate to have transportation. If you’ve made a mistake, be thankful for the opportunity to learn from it and become a better person because of that experience. The point is to recognize the blessings in your life so that the struggles don’t take over.

What the Research Says About Gratitude:

The Research Project on Gratitude and Thanksgiving involved several hundred people in three different groups to keep daily diaries. The first group kept a diary of the events that occurred during the day, while the second group recorded their unpleasant experiences. The last group made a daily list of things for which they were grateful.

The results of the study indicated that daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism and energy. Additionally, the gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, was more likely to help others, exercised more regularly and made more progress toward personal goals.

According to the findings, people who feel grateful are also more likely to feel loved. The researchers noted that gratitude encouraged a positive cycle of reciprocal kindness among people since one act of gratitude encourages another. They stated that these results also seem to show that gratitude works independently of faith. Though gratitude is a substantial part of most religions, the benefits extend to the general population, regardless of faith or lack thereof. This suggests that anyone can increase their sense of well-being and create positive social effects just from counting their blessings.

Source: Emmons, R.A., & McCullough, M.E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: Experimental studies of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 377-389.

Author: Rosie Ward, MPH, CHES, Intrinsic Coach™; Health and Wellness Director, Northwestern Health Sciences University