Gratitude Practices
May 4, 2010I remember first getting focused on gratitude while reading Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. Keeping a daily gratitude journal is one of the tools Sarah presents in her daybook to help shift our focus from lack to abundance. I found this practice inspiring and nurturing, and Sarah opened my awareness to so many simple things in my life for which to be grateful. I remember looking forward to reading the book every day so I could share her beautiful path. This is also the first book that I remember influencing me to search for my own authentic path.
Gratitude is also a form of celebration – what better way to celebrate than to thank yourself and others for contributions and successes?
More recently, I find myself fascinated by the scientific research about spiritual and personal growth practices. Sonja Lyubomirsky’s book The How of Happiness states that “research clearly demonstrates that you would be happier if you cultivated an ‘attitude of gratitude’” She offers the following eight ways that happiness is boosted by gratitude:
1. Gratitude helps us savor positive life experiences.
2. Expressing gratitude improves our self-worth and self-esteem.
3. Gratitude helps to cope with stress and trauma.
4. Gratitude encourages moral behavior.
5. Gratitude builds social bonds, strengthening existing relationships and nurturing new ones.
6. Expressing gratitude inhibits invidious comparisons with others, so we no longer try to keep up with the “Joneses.”
7. Expressing gratitude is incompatible with negative emotions – it is hard to hold opposing feelings such as gratitude and greed.
8. Gratitude helps to thwart hedonic adaptation, which is the phenomenon that occurs when we return to being unhappy soon after a substantial positive life change like winning the lottery or moving to a new city.
I am incredibly grateful to these authors for sharing their insights about gratitude and inspiring me to be more grateful. More love and joy enter my life every day by practicing gratitude.
-Carolee
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Glad you shared that perspective on how gratitude works with happiness. #8 caught my attention. I’m not sure what the Hedonic Adaptation is but I suspect it is about wanting more or better or greater once you obtain what you desire. Not feeling satisfied. Or, always wanting. Martha Beck said something in her recent “O” column, “People who have what you wnat are all over rehab clinics, divorce courts, and jails. That’s because good fortune has side effects.” She was talking about over-focusing on external things. But I think gratitude is a way to handle desire for what you want and don’t yet have and also when you do get what you desire.
It is truly difficult to be hopeless, angry, depressed, or even down in the slightest when you remain grateful for all that you are, have, and have coming your way.
Nice post…I think I will link to it for Fortunate Friday this week.
Kellie – Thanks for your insightful comment. I shared your perspective when I was teaching a class tonight, so thanks for adding this to my consciousness. Corresponding with like-minded souls and picking up new perspectives is one of my greatest pleasures of doing this work!
We also really appreciate you sharing our posts with your readers.
Infinite love and gratitude,
Carolee
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