GratitudE-CAN IT CHANGE OUR ATTITUDE?
November is here and the holiday season will soon be upon us. For many, the holidays signify valued time spent with family, cozy days in front of the fire, the chance to wear those warm and comfy winter clothes and the opportunity for joyful celebrations. But for some, this time of year can bring on feelings of anxiety, loneliness and frustration with ourselves for not being where we want to be. However, one way we can look at this change of season and festive time is built right into the Thanksgiving holiday - a time to be grateful.
Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful, ready to show appreciation and return kindness. Gratitude means taking the time to remember and think about the good things that have happened in the past, whether it is about a person, an experience or a good thought that you had. When you acknowledge and recognize gratitude, it can actually change the way that you look at life.
When you tap into gratitude, you begin to acknowledge the goodness in your life and as a result, you will feel more positive emotions within yourself and towards others. Feeling gratitude can improve your health, increase your self image, help you cherish feel-good moments, enable yourself to cope with adversity and better your relationships.
So I talk to myself a lot - I generally am going through my to-do list, talking my way through a recipe, or just chatting my way through a busy day. But when I do that, I often take for granted the small things in my life that make me really happy - the warmth and unconditional love of my two dogs Ollie and Charlie as they sit by my feet most hours of the day, the interaction with my close friends who reach out to go for a walk or to just catch up and say hello, and the pride and joy I feel from watching my kids evolve into incredible human beings. And life is too damn good to not stop and smell the flowers. Why is it so hard for us to slow down and acknowledge what we are grateful for? Being grateful is one of the best ways to remind ourselves of all of the good around us. It is just too difficult to be down when you start to recognize all that you are grateful for. So how can we do this? Here are some of the ways that I try to incorporate gratitude into my life:
Make some kind of connection with someone important in your life each day. I try to make a point to make some connections, whether it be by sending a quick text to someone I care about, picking up the phone to let someone know that I am thinking about them or acknowledging someone’s accomplishment no matter how small each day. The act of giving for the benefit of someone else as an intentional decision to look beyond oneself feels really good!
Keep a gratitude journal. Write down your positive thoughts. Sometimes I write down the silliest thoughts or the simplest things that make me happy. Research shows that it takes about eight weeks for people to show changed brain patterns that can lead to greater happiness. Consciously engage in activities that bring you joy. Engaging in activities that make you happy can increase your gratitude. When you exercise, do something creative, try out a new hobby or revisit an old one you improve your mood which leads to a happier state of mind. When you feel happier, you look at life in a more positive way. I try to incorporate some kind of movement into my every day because I know that this increases my happiness. Choose something that you can do to make you happy. Try to acknowledge and appreciate the little things. Gratitude does not have to be saved for the “big” things in our lives. I try to recognize the littlest things that make me happy and acknowledge them.
These are a few of the simple steps that I regularly take in my gratitude practice. I suggest we all make a conscious effort this holiday season to work on our gratitude. Why not give it a try?
