Experiencing: Gratitude

P R A C T I C I N G GRATITUDE

Gratitude is described as a cognitive process in which a favorable outcome is attributed to the benevolence of an external source, such as another person or a higher power (Emmons and McCullough, 2003). Practicing gratitude has been shown to enhance subjective well-being— or happiness—by fixing one's attention to what one has rather than what one lacks, which reduces the capacity for unhelpful social comparison or envy (Watkins et al., 2011).

Gratitude enables a deeper sense of appreciation and joy to be derived from positive circumstances and fosters stronger relationships with others by increasing feelings of being valued, all of which in turn promote a "cycle of virtue, " where prosocial behavior and the resulting sense of warm connection to other people positively reinforce one another (Grant & Gino, 2010). "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. " — Oprah Winfrey

Count your blessings

Research has shown that consistent practice of grateful thinking leads to long-term improvements in happiness (Emmons and McCullough, 2003). One recommended method is to keep a gratitude journal and regularly reflect on the blessings in your life.

Exercise: Consider the people, opportunities, and circumstances in your life that you are deeply grateful for. Then, at the end of each day, reflect on what was good and what went well.

G R A T I T U D E E X E R C I S E Finding Closure

"When life is sweet, say 'thank you' and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say 'thank you' and grow. " — Shauna Niequist

The following exercise was designed by Watkins et al. (2013):

"Bring to mind an open memory. An open memory is a troubling memory from your past that you feel is not yet behind you and is poorly understood. In many ways, this emotional memory is still an 'open book' for you. For the next 20 minutes, think back on your experience and write about your open memory. At first, it may seem that the event you wrote down might not have had any positive effects on your life. However, sometimes even when bad things happen, they ultimately have positive consequences, things we can now be grateful for. Try to focus on the positive aspects or consequences of this difficult experience. As a result of this event, what kinds of things do you now feel thankful for? How have you grown? Were there personal strengths that grew out of your experience? How has the event made you better able to meet the challenges of the future? How has this event helped you appreciate the truly important people and things in your life?

As you write, do not worry about punctuation or grammar; let go and write as much as you can about the positive aspects of your experience that you now feel you can be grateful for.