Gratitude: Increase Your Health and Happiness
by Ann Karcich

Most of us give thanks at least once a year on the fourth Thursday in November.  And religious teachings espouse giving thanks to a higher power for our blessings as well as for our problems which help us learn and grow.  Now there's a growing body of evidence on the benefits of practicing gratitude from psychological research and from life stories of people who developed a habit of acknowledging their blessings, even when blessings were few and far between.
 
In the book, This is Not the Life I Ordered (Conari Press 2007), Deborah Stephens, one of the authors, describes her attempts to start recognizing her blessings at a time when her husband was critically ill and she had two young children to care for.  She forced herself to write at least two entries in her gratitude journal daily when good news was nearly nonexistent.  She reported that after about two weeks she just started feeling better and described the power of her daily gratitude practice as "magical".
 
Be Happier and Healthier
Gratitude practitioners report feeling more optimism, less stress and depression, and more enthusiasm for their lives and future.  In one study, people who kept gratitude journals measured significantly better on psychological and physical scales than those who did not keep a journal.
 
And for physical health, grateful people exercise more, eat a healthier diet and have regular physical checkups.   Our immune systems also get a boost if our attitude is more optimistic.  One study reported that exam-stressed students with more upbeat attitudes had stronger immune response than their more pessimistic peers.
 
How to Develop Your Gratitude Practice
Now you need the tools to start cultivating your own attitude of gratitude lifestyle.

Find Quiet Time to Reflect
Begin by setting aside a few minutes each day to reflect on your day and the gifts it brought you.  Many people find writing down the blessings in a gratitude journal keeps them motivated to continue their practice.  But the important point here is to establish a regular schedule to count your blessings.  If a daily time doesn't work for you, choose a number of times per week, say three or four, and stick to it.
 
What Did I Say?
Another tool is to monitor your self-talk.  These are those little messages we send ourselves like "That was a really dumb thing to say" or "I can't believe I did that".  Recognize any of these?  When our self-talk is negative or critical, our attitude follows suit.  Better to use your self-talk to create a sunnier internal landscape.  Send yourself some positive thoughts, something like "This will help me do better next time", and soon you'll find your mood uplifted.

Don't Go It Alone
Just as having a walking partner or gym buddy motivates you to take that walk or get to the gym, having a gratitude partner can help you change your mental landscape.  Motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, states that each of us is the sum total of the five people we spend the most time with.  So make sure at least one of your five people shares your enthusiasm for seeing the glass as half full.
 
What have you got to lose by starting your gratitude practice today?  Absolutely nothing.  At the very least you'll feel better and be better able to handle life's stresses.  Set aside a little time each day, after you brush your teeth at night might be a good time, and reflect on all that's good about your life.