By Cindy Hodgson
It’s almost time for turkey, pumpkin pie, and, in some families, going around the table to share what each person has been thankful for in the past year. Whether you eagerly anticipate that tradition or dread it, it might just be as healthy as those cranberries or collard greens that are part of your Thanksgiving feast.
Much research has shown that being intentional about gratitude has myriad benefits. Dr. Robert Emmons, a gratitude researcher, writes in his book, “Thanks: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier,” that he thinks of gratitude as a combination of acknowledging what is good in your life and recognizing that it is at least partially due to forces outside yourself.
Emmons reported in “Thanks” that people who are grateful are more joyful and enthusiastic and those who practice gratitude are less prone to envy and resentment, among many other correlations. Research also has shown that a daily gratitude exercise may help improve sleep. And, perhaps most astonishing to me, a 2015 article in Psychology Today cited a 2006 study published in Behavior Research and Therapy showing that veterans of the Vietnam War who had more gratitude also had lower rates of PTSD, and a 2003 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed that gratitude contributed to resilience after 9/11.
Who doesn’t want to be more joyful, sleep better, and be more resilient? While certainly not a panacea, it looks like gratitude is one key.
If you want to be intentional about gratitude, here are a few ways to keep the thanks flowing all year:
Daily gratitude journal. Take a few minutes every day to write down 3-5 things that you’re thankful for – and challenge yourself to include at least one that you’ve never used before. Think small. Maybe you had your favorite coffee drink, saw a beautiful sunset on your way home, or maybe in the midst of doing laundry you were suddenly really, really grateful for your washer and dryer.- Gratitude jar. I first heard about this in an article by author Debbie Macomber in Guideposts magazine. Leave a vase or jar somewhere visible and whenever something happens for which you feel grateful, jot it down on a note and put it in the container. You can add the date if you want. Macomber makes it a New Year’s tradition to dump them out and read them as a way to look back over the past year. But you also could do it monthly or anytime you’re feeling down and need a reminder of the positive.
Daily dinnertime sharing. It doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving to take a few minutes at dinner for everyone to think of one thing from the day for which they are grateful. Even the most stressful days have their positive elements and it’s important not to filter them out and focus on the negative. Some days maybe all you can muster are the big things you’ve said you’re grateful for a hundred times – a roof over your head, food on your plate, family – but taking a moment to acknowledge those blessings might just cause a shift in your mindset.- Be creative and come up with your own ideas! However you do it, if you start being intentional about gratitude, at next year’s Thanksgiving gathering you may find yourself thankful for starting the practice of gratitude.
Cindy Hodgson lives in Columbia Heights and has a Master of Arts degree in counseling psychology from Bethel University. She is a licensed professional clinical counselor providing individual therapy through Threads of Hope Counseling in Maple Grove.