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Video

Lesson

As catchy as the phrase sounds, gratitude is NOT just an attitude — it’s a practice!

And, it’s a practice that has solid research behind it. Practicing gratitude just ONE TIME a week is enough to see the benefits, which include greater levels of happiness, higher energy levels, more hopeful feelings, and more experiences of positive emotions. In one study, participants who wrote down the things they were thankful for one time a week for 10 weeks ended up exercising more, and being healthier (fewer coughs and colds), than the control groups.

The people at the Greater Good Science Center tell us that gratitude makes people about 25% happier, and it helps them sleep better.

It’s for these reasons that happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky calls gratitude “a metastrategy for achieving happiness.” She says gratitude “is many things to many people”:

“It is wonder; it is appreciation; it is looking at the bright side of a setback; it is fathoming abundance; it is thanking someone in your life; it is thanking God; it is “counting blessings.” It is savoring; it is not taking things for granted; it is coping; it is present-oriented.”

Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness

As I stated in the video, gratitude is a component of mindfulness in that it grounds us entirely in the present. It asks us to consider what is good and right with our world right now. It’s not about wishing for things to be different, it’s not about ruminating on the past or dreading the future — it’s about being present.

Your Mindful Move

Your mindfulness practice for today is to count your blessings!

There are lots of ways you can practice gratitude, including:

• keeping a gratitude journal, and writing in it at least once a week
• writing a letter to someone you are thankful for (you don’t have to send it unless you want to)
• scrolling through your phone’s camera and using the pictures to remind you of joyful moments you’ve had
• taking a few moments when you get into bed to reflect on the positive events and people from the day that you are thankful for

Researchers recommend that you “change it up” as you practice so you don’t get bored with gratitude or fall into a rut. See the links below for lots of ideas on bringing gratitude into your life!

You can find additional ideas for practicing gratitude in this post on my blog.

Also check out the Practical Guide to Gratitude from Unstuck.

This article from Tiny Buddha has helpful suggestions for a gratitude practice.

Finally, check out this list of 14 Creative Ways to Practice Gratitude from MindBodyGreen.

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