A Practical Guide to Gratitude

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. The holiday itself means many things to many people, I hope you are engaging or disengaging with it in a way that leaves you feeling great.

Holiday hoopla aside, there is something to the idea of designating time to give thanks, or establishing a practice of doing it. The benefits are endless:

Being aware of we’re grateful for is one way to learn more about ourselves.
Bringing attention to what we’re thankful for in a person or situation orients us away from blame and judgment.
Sharing what we’re grateful for is a powerful way to speak our truth and strengthen connections with one another.
Sustaining a focus on gratitude can help to guide us through stressful or dull times and amplify our joy when things are feeling good.

We all have our own relationship with gratitude, and it’s one we can continue to shape throughout our lives. Whether this is the first time you’re intentionally thinking about it or whether you’ve developed a deep set of beliefs and practices around it, check out this super-succinct blurb from unstuck.com on gratitude to see what catches your attention:

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GRATITUDE

(and focus on what’s really important.)

In a stuck moment, it’s hard to see positive forces when obstacles are blaring and fears are looming.

This is a good time to be grateful. Not grateful for what has us stuck, but appreciating what doesn’t. Gratitude helps us see our situation in a way that can lessen panic, and could open up our thinking to new solutions.

Thing is, people aren’t hardwired to be grateful. And, like any skill worth having, gratitude requires practice. There are three stages, says Dr. Robert Emmons, author of “Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier”: recognizing what we’re grateful for, acknowledging it, and appreciating it. Simple, right? And the benefits of practicing gratitude can be life-altering.

- Gratitude puts situations into perspective. When we can see the good as well as the bad, it becomes more difficult to complain and stay stuck.

- Gratitude helps us realize what we have. This can lessen our need for wanting more all the time.

- Gratitude strengthens relationships, improves health, reduces stress, and, in general, makes us happier, according to Dr. Emmons, who explains his research in this video.

Want to cultivate gratitude? Here’s 9 ways to get started…

gratitude