Years ago I went through a long period in my life filled with many losses, including my health. Through those years, I went through a couple of periods of pretty severe depression. But I never completely gave up hope; I believed that if I kept trying, things would eventually get better. So I searched for something, anything, which would pull me up from the black cloud of despair that hung over all my days.
While I was trying any type of holistic healing treatment I read about, several people recommended that I begin a gratitude journal. That seemed too simple to be of any help to me. I couldn’t relate to the people who suggested it; they were far more cheerful than I could even imagine being. Besides, most days I had trouble finding anything to be grateful about.
After a number of people made the same recommendation, I decided I’d give it a try. After all, if that many people were proponents, maybe there was something to it. Each night before bed, I’d work on my list of ten things I’d felt grateful for that day. When I first began this practice, the list consisted of the same things each night: my husband, my daughter, my dogs, my arms, my legs, my sight, my hearing. In those days, I was so unhappy I couldn’t even come up with a list of ten things for which to be grateful!
There were times the exercise seemed pointless, and I’d let it go for a while. Then I’d pick it up again. After a while, without my notice, something shifted. I found myself every once in a while adding an extra item to the list—something that had happened that day for which I was truly glad. Gradually, my list became longer and being grateful was no longer limited to a bedtime ritual. I began noticing little things more often again, like a particularly beautiful day, or a good conversation with a new friend, or the scrumptiousness of something I was eating.
The blackness was lifting, and I was on an upward spiral. The more I was grateful for, the more I seemed to notice all the good things in my life. This certainly wasn’t the only thing that healed me. The passage of time helped too, but adopting an “attitude of gratitude” certainly seemed to be alleviating the pain.
Research shows that practicing gratitude can make you not only happier, but healthier both emotionally and physically. People who regularly express thankfulness experience fewer aches and pains, less stress, greater resistance to illness, improved sleep, and a greater sense of well-being. They generally find life more interesting and exciting. And another benefit–being grateful makes you more aware of those less fortunate, thanks to the hormone oxytocin which prompts feelings of kindness and empathy.
Now, throughout the day, I experience thoughts of gratitude. I can definitely affirm that embracing an “attitude of gratitude” works. Every once in a while, during a conversation about those who are less fortunate, someone will say something like, “We don’t appreciate how much we have.” And a little voice inside me says, “Oh yes, I do.”
If you rarely stop to appreciate something good in your life, either expressing it verbally to someone or thinking quietly to yourself, you will probably benefit greatly from getting into the habit of doing so. However you spend your Thanksgiving Day, take a moment to express thanks for whatever you do have. Have a happy, warm and safe holiday!
taking steps to wellness 