The Importance of Practicing Gratitude

Hi Friends,

Welcome to a new year, we are glad you are here! Pull up a chair and a cup of coffee, and let’s visit for a few minutes. What are your hopes and dreams for 2024? What propels you toward those hopes and dreams? If we were sitting across the table from one another, I think we might share in a moment of silence as we ponder the things that move us into a posture of pursuing our hopes and dreams for this year.

I’m going to take a deep breath and be curious about those things that might propel me forward into my hopes and dreams. I’d like to ask you to consider the impact of the practice of gratitude on helping us move toward the things we desire and hope for. A practice of gratitude may cause us to see life from a different perspective.

What is gratitude? Gratitude can be a feeling, or it can be a state of being. It is defined as the quality or feeling of acknowledging what we appreciate or are thankful for. It has the power to refocus our attention away from the negative and toward the positive. A feeling or emotion of gratitude may be a response to a gift, an event or even a feeling of relief when we escape tragedy. A state of gratitude is a practice of focusing on aspects of life where we find ways to express thankfulness and appreciation on a regular basis. In Brene Brown’s book Daring Greatly (2012) she shares her research which reveals joyful people consistently practice gratitude. Gratitude is the practice of acknowledging there is enough in this moment.

In Ann Voskamp’s 2010 book “One Thousand Gifts” the reader is invited to journey along the path of transformation by practicing gratitude. Ann was challenged by a friend to make a list of 1000 things for which she was grateful. In her book she expresses thanks for the mundane and the ordinary experiences in her life. I was particularly delighted by her joy in doing laundry and her surprise of seeing an invitation into another dimension when she spied the full moon perched on the horizon.

Practices of gratitude result in feelings of happiness, pleasure and contentment. These practices also have an impact on brain functioning. Intentional focus on expressing gratitude releases neurotransmitters which are crucial to “feeling good” from the inside out. As serotonin and dopamine are released it moves the person toward peace, contentment and happiness and away from depression and anxiety. In a 2008 study published in the Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, gratitude was shown to have a positive impact on physical, psychological and social functioning. Practicing gratitude is correlated with improved physical health and healing.  Mental health benefits include feelings of happiness and deepening social relationships when we take time to express gratitude to others.

Practices of gratitude may include expressions of appreciation, such as letters written to people who meant a lot to the writer, or expressions of self-affirmation.  Other practices can be meditations, journaling or simple lists of things for which you are grateful. Maybe it is taking a picture of things that have moved your heart, or some other form of art. While there is no “best” way to practice gratitude, it should be intentional and link an experience with a feeling.

Emiliana Simon-Thomas, PhD, science director at the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkley suggests the Gratitude 123 method.

1. Begin with a description of what someone did for you or what you actually experienced.
2. Acknowledge the other person’s effort in doing something for you.
3. Describe and acknowledge how that helped you and include the expression of gratitude, thankfulness or appreciation.

This process might sound like, “When you ask how I am doing, and put your phone down to look at me and listen to what I say, it makes me feel safe and helps me believe that, no matter how my day has been, I have you in my corner. I am so grateful for your care.”

A practice of gratitude is not a magic bullet. Ann Voskamp writes of how practicing gratitude helped her change her perspective from drowning in a pile of laundry to sailing on a sea of clothes that her children had worn as they had adventures on the farm. She talked about the day she realized she was feeling joy in doing laundry rather than despair. The sheer surprise in her perspective change was a reminder of the required time and commitment she had invested in intentionally practicing gratitude. The results of intentional and consistent practice are worth the effort. Practicing gratitude will help us refocus toward the positive and propel us toward realizing some of our hopes and dreams.

Thank you for spending this time with me. I appreciate your willingness to read this blog and hang out with me for a few minutes!