Gratitude

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches and we anticipate the yummy goodness that it provides our bellies, we should also consider the benefits gratitude can give to our whole being!

Three Steps of Gratitude

No matter our situation or what we are going through, there are always things that we can be grateful for. Dr. Robert Emmons, who has researched this topic extensively, broke gratitude down into three steps. 

1. Recognizing what you are grateful for
2. Acknowledging it
3. Appreciating it

In other words, we need to put effort into thinking about what we are grateful for, then doing something about it, and lastly appreciating those things we are grateful for. For those with a religious slant, this may be considered counting one’s blessings and naming them one by one. Once we start thinking and reflecting on things that we are grateful for, we soon realize that there are more good things in our life than we had been recognizing. 

Benefits of Gratitude

Amy Morin, author and psychotherapist, gives 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude in Psychology Today, which sum up why being grateful is a healthy pursuit.  She states:

1. Gratitude opens the door to more relationships. Not only does saying “thank you” constitute good manners, but showing appreciation can help you win new friends, according to a 2014 study published in Emotion. The study found that thanking a new acquaintance makes them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship. So whether you thank a stranger for holding the door or send a thank-you note to that colleague who helped you with a project, acknowledging other people’s contributions can lead to new opportunities.
2. Gratitude improves physical health. Grateful people experience fewer aches and pains and report feeling healthier than other people, according to a 2012 study published in Personality and Individual Differences. Not surprisingly, grateful people are also more likely to take care of their health. They exercise more often and are more likely to attend regular check-ups, which is likely to contribute to further longevity.
3. Gratitude improves psychological health. Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions, from envy and resentment to frustration and regret. Robert Emmons, a leading gratitude researcher, has conducted multiple studies on the link between gratitude and well-being. His research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.
4. Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression. Grateful people are more likely to behave in a prosocial manner, even when others behave less kindly, according to a 2012 study by the University of Kentucky. Study participants who ranked higher on gratitude scales were less likely to retaliate against others, even when given negative feedback. They experienced more sensitivity and empathy toward other people and a decreased desire to seek revenge.
5. Grateful people sleep better. Writing in a gratitude journal improves sleep, according to a 2011 study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. Spend just 15 minutes jotting down a few grateful sentiments before bed, and you may sleep better and longer.
6. Gratitude improves self-esteem. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology found that gratitude increased athletes’ self-esteem, an essential component to optimal performance. Other studies have shown that gratitude reduces social comparisons. Rather than becoming resentful toward people who have more money or better jobs—a major factor in reduced self-esteem—grateful people are able to appreciate other people’s accomplishments.
7. Gratitude increases mental strength. For years, research has shown gratitude not only reduces stress, but it may also play a major role in overcoming trauma. A 2006 study published in Behavior Research and Therapy found that Vietnam War veterans with higher levels of gratitude experienced lower rates of post-traumatic stress disorder. A 2003 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that gratitude was a major contributor to resilience following the terrorist attacks on September 11. Recognizing all that you have to be thankful for —even during the worst times—fosters resilience.

I would go further to say that the more we improve our mental health through gratitude the more our physical health will follow. When we turn away from negativity and lean into positive grateful thoughts, the more our bodies will release negative past emotions from our tissues and the more healthy we will feel. If any emotions get stuck in our tissues, Posture Massage can help you to work through those and “update your software.” Often recognizing what we are grateful for and why can jumpstart our brains and bodies into talking and healing. 

Tips for Increasing Gratitude in Your Life

Once again, Robert Emmons has good advice on steps you can take to increase gratitude in your life and reap the benefits:

1. Keep a Gratitude Journal. Establish a daily practice in which you remind yourself of the gifts, grace, benefits, and good things you enjoy. Setting aside time on a daily basis to recall moments of gratitude associated with ordinary events, your personal attributes, or valued people in your life gives you the potential to interweave a sustainable life theme of gratefulness.
2. Remember the Bad. To be grateful in your current state, it is helpful to remember the hard times that you once experienced. When you remember how difficult life used to be and how far you have come, you set up an explicit contrast in your mind, and this contrast is fertile ground for gratefulness.
3. Ask Yourself Three Questions. Utilize the meditation technique known as Naikan, which involves reflecting on three questions: “What have I received from __?”, “What have I given to __?”, and “What troubles and difficulty have I caused?”
4. Come to Your Senses. Through our senses—the ability to touch, see, smell, taste, and hear—we gain an appreciation of what it means to be human and of what an incredible miracle it is to be alive. Seen through the lens of gratitude, the human body is not only a miraculous construction, but also a gift.
5. Use Visual Reminders. Because the two primary obstacles to gratefulness are forgetfulness and a lack of mindful awareness, visual reminders can serve as cues to trigger thoughts of gratitude. Oftentimes, the best visual reminders are other people.
6. Make a Vow to Practice Gratitude. Research shows that making an oath to perform a behavior increases the likelihood that the action will be executed. Therefore, write your own gratitude vow, which could be as simple as “I vow to count my blessings each day,” and post it somewhere where you will be reminded of it every day.
7. Watch your Language. Grateful people have a particular linguistic style that uses the language of gifts, givers, blessings, blessed, fortune, fortunate, and abundance. In gratitude, you should not focus on how inherently good you are, but rather on the inherently good things that others have done on your behalf.
8. Go Through the Motions. If you go through grateful motions, the emotion of gratitude should be triggered. Grateful motions include smiling, saying thank you, and writing letters of gratitude.
9. Think Outside the Box. If you want to make the most out of opportunities to flex your gratitude muscles, you must creatively look for new situations and circumstances in which to feel grateful.

Now as you are gearing up for turkeys, stuffing, pies or whatever traditions you have, try leaning more into gratitude and see what a difference it can make in your life. 

Although I am by no means perfect, I try to practice gratitude in my daily life and love to talk to clients about the good, the bad, and the ugly of their lives. If you feel you could benefit from massage therapy, brainwork, anxiety work, or emotional integration tied to gratitude or the lack thereof, then consider bringing it up in your next session with Posture Massage.