A Month for Gratitude

November is Gratitude Month at Alpenglow Acupuncture and Comprehensive Reflex Therapy. Every year, we put out our gratitude jar and invite everyone who comes in to write down what they are thankful for and add it to our jar. It is really fun to see that thing fill up!

We will also be running a daily gratitude challenge over on our facebook group, True Health Revolution so feel free to join us over there to keep your momentum going. 

Focusing on gratitude has been one way to keep me going over the past 20 months of craziness. Even though it can be easy to forget in the midst of these stressful times, there are SO many things in my life to be grateful for and I have really worked to concentrate on that. My family is loving and supportive (and darn cute, if you ask me!). I live in a beautiful state with lots of fun outdoor, socially distanced activities available. My body is a healing rock star. I have an amazing job where I get to see wonderful people all day long. I mean, come on, I get paid to stick needles in people! How great is that?!

As I thought about our Gratitude Month at work, I decided to revisit the research on it to remind myself of the benefits there are besides just improving happiness. One of the resources I came across was this great article from Harvard Medical School. Here’s some of what it said:

Research on gratitude

Two psychologists, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, have done much of the research on gratitude. In one study, they asked all participants to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular topics.

One group wrote about things they were grateful for that had occurred during the week. A second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them, and the third wrote about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on them being positive or negative). After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation.

Another leading researcher in this field, Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, tested the impact of various positive psychology interventions on 411 people, each compared with a control assignment of writing about early memories. When their week's assignment was to write and personally deliver a letter of gratitude to someone who had never been properly thanked for his or her kindness, participants immediately exhibited a huge increase in happiness scores. This impact was greater than that from any other intervention, with benefits lasting for a month.

Of course, studies such as this one cannot prove cause and effect. But most of the studies published on this topic support an association between gratitude and an individual's well-being.

Other studies have looked at how gratitude can improve relationships. For example, a study of couples found that individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner not only felt more positive toward the other person but also felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship.

Ways to cultivate gratitude

Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make them happier, or thinking they can't feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel contrived at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.

Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis:

Write a thank-you note.

You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person's impact on your life. Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Once in a while, write one to yourself.

Thank someone mentally.

No time to write? It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.

Keep a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one thoughts about the gifts you've received each day.

Count your blessings.

Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings — reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will identify each week. As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you.

Pray.

People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude.

Meditate.

Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. Although people often focus on a word or phrase (such as "peace"), it is also possible to focus on what you're grateful for (the warmth of the sun, a pleasant sound, etc.).***

I’m looking forward to enjoying these extra health benefits of gratitude in the new year! What are you grateful for?

***article originally posted at www.health.harvard.edu, no author cited