“Practicing gratitude to reduce stress?” Those who openly share their Zen lifestyle of embracing a mindset of gratitude often brag about their stress-free life. Are they strange individuals living in a fantasy and an unusual world? What follows is a brief description of the process and the benefits associated with practicing gratitude.
The Definition of Gratitude
The definition of gratitude varies, depending on the context Sansone, a well-known researcher in this field, defines gratitude in practical terms as “the appreciation of what is valuable and meaningful to oneself and represents a general state of thankfulness and/or appreciation.” This interpretation was further explored by researcher’s Emmons and McCullough in a 2008 study, which provided greater detail of its benefits. Their research, which randomly assigned participants to gratitude trials, showed that gratitude can result in a heightened sense of well-being. The gratitude research studied the comparison between three experimental conditions: hassles, gratitude listing, and neutral life events.
Identifying Practice Tools
1-Journal Writing –Provides an opportunity to identify the positive things in your life. It is just too easy to obsess about negative issues. In my clinical practice, those who are able to sustain a gratitude mindset over time, have a habit of setting aside a specific time and space for this activity. The best time can be in the morning or the evening. Setting aside a specific and inflexible time is often described as the key to sustaining journal writing. Kathleen Adams’ book, “The Way of the Journal”, is book often recommended for those who seek a deeper awareness of journal writing skills.
2-Visual images –Research suggests that visualizing a positive picture-word task can trigger a positive mental image, which can lead to improvements in mood and performance. Practicing gratitude can include the simple ritual of viewing photographs of persons who touched your life in a positive way. I have often recommended finding a photo of a memorable, positive event or person to keep on your cell phone. When feeling discouraged or gloomy, it would be practicing gratitude to view this special photo and reflect positively, to lighten the heavy mood.
3-Note Writing –When was the last time you received a letter or card by snail mail? Yes, it requires time to travel to the store and the post office, yet finding the perfect card to send to a special person in your life can be priceless. The card itself can be entertaining, inspirational and effective in reversing a gloomy mood. We all have numerous milestones and events in our lives, and you can show appreciation for someone special by acknowledging their birthday or anniversary or sending encouragement or get-well wishes. So just select one event in gratitude and celebration for someone special in your life! Human life passages provide special opportunities to get out of your own head! The simple act of buying or making a card, and mailing it to another person is special. Imagine the wonder and warmth your friend or loved one will feel receiving a surprise card in the mail
4-Sending a care package – Picture yourself receiving an unexpected parcel of fillable golden eggs containing jelly beans, a box of cookies and other fun stuff. Fast forward to the experience of your friend receiving a random act of kindness from you! Just imagine the expression on their face, as they open the package. Practicing gratitude can include random acts of kindness.
5-List Making –Make a list of positives in your life. It does not have to be complicated. Just writing a list of positive events on a card or post-it note adopts an attitude of gratitude.
Practicing Gratitude Objective
Practicing gratitude forces you to consider the positive people and events in your life. It provides daily opportunities to focus on positive feelings associated with your routine and other aspects of your daily life. Think of how children are gleefully happy and excited about an upcoming playdate. What happened to adults’ joy and gratitude for the simple events and opportunities in their lives? It takes time and effort to celebrate and nurture people who are on our path in life, yet we often take them for granted, even those who have touched our lives in a positive way. The benefits of managing stress by practicing gratitude are something you can achieve, but like everything worthwhile, it requires effort.