Practicing Gratitude

Happy snow day! Here in the frozen north, we are nearly shut down for a beautiful blizzard that’s passing through. That means I’ve got some time to write! I recently just finished the book Thanks! by Robert Emmons and absolutely loved it! I highly recommend it to everyone. I quickly realized while reading the last chapter that even if you don’t read the whole book (which I would definitely suggest doing), you would still get a great deal out of reading just the final chapter. For my blog today though, I’m going to share the wonderful list Dr. Robert Emmons gives in his last chapter for how we can begin to practice gratitude. This is just a snippet, so I still hope you read the book!

1. Gratitude Journal. The easiest, and probably most common way to practice gratitude is by keeping a gratitude journal. This is essentially what the skill Find The Positive is. Record three things each day that you are grateful for. Dr. Emmons goes into much more detail, but the idea is simple.
2. Remember the Bad. This idea was a weird one for me at first, but the more read about it the more it made sense. It’s the bad stuff in life that gives us something to be grateful for later on. If we go through an ugly breakup, we are later grateful for the time spent with that person and for the lessons we may have learned along the way.
3. Ask Yourself Three Questions. Dr. Emmons references the Buddhist meditation technique known as Naikan. The idea is to ask yourself, and meditate on your answers, these three questions. 1. What have I received from ______________? 2. What have I given to ______________? 3. What troubles and difficulty have I caused __________? These questions can be answered during your jounaling time as well. I’m not going to go into too much explanation about the meditation practice or the questions. I’ll just let you read the book for more information on that.
4. Learn Prayers of Gratitude. Whether you believe in a higher power or not (but I highly encourage you to regardless of who/what you believe in), send up many prayers of gratitude. There is always something to be grateful for, but in case you can’t think of something consider praying to simply learn gratitude.
5. Come to Your Senses. Be grateful for all the things you can see, hear, taste, feel, and smell. Simply put by Dr. Emmons, “Through our senses, we gain an appreciation of what it means to be human, of what an incredible miracle it is to be alive.”
6. Use Visual Reminders. One of the main reasons I struggle with keeping a gratitude journal is pure forgetfulness. Using visual reminders to be grateful or to do your journal is a great way to get over the obstacle of forgetfulness and lack of awareness. These can be magnets, stickers, signs, pictures, or even accountability partners.
7. Make a Vow to Practice Gratitude. People tend to feel more committed to something or someone when they have made a vow to follow through. Take marriage vows for instance, most people take these very seriously and do everything they can to keep them. So why not vow to practice gratitude?
8. Watch Your Language. I’ve talked about this before, but it is super important. Notice what you are saying and how you are saying it. Start practicing gratitude self-talk in which you internally thank people who’ve helped you that day or that moment.
9. Go Through the Motions. Fake it till you make it. This idea is not a new one. Go through the motions even if it has to be forced and takes a lot of effort. The book states, “…attitude change often follows behavior change.”
10. Think Outside the Box. There may be opportunities to be grateful that aren’t normally thought of as situations in which you would be grateful. Be creative in what you’re grateful for, because there is much in our lives.

I hope these 10 gratitude tips can be useful to you! This book has become one of my favorites; hopefully you can read it and enjoy it too. There are a lot of excellent lessons to be learned from it.

To my friends in the north, have a great snow day! Friends anywhere it is warm, know that I am jealous, and wish you a great sunny day! As always, if you have any questions, comments, or just need to talk please comment or email me! I’ll share my weekly FTP; please share yours in the comments!

1. This snow day means a day of rest and hanging out with family/friends. I’m grateful for the time I get with these great people. The conversations never run out and the laughs always keep coming!
2. I’m grateful for the students I get to see when I sub. They always bring a smile to my face and a lot of joy to my heart. They are generous, kind, and hardworking.
3. I’m grateful for people who are willing to use our school curriculum. These great educators believe in what we are teaching. They give the very important information to students of all different backgrounds so they may have the tools to help them through life. It’s great to see others believe in the importance of what we do and the need for mental health support for our students.