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In the midst of a transition or life challenge oftentimes it’s hard to think of the “upside”, in fact, at certain times, when people reminded me of the upside during certain “bad periods” I wanted to hit him or her “upside the head.”
Well, Robert Emmons, Ph.D., has written a remarkable book on the empirical evidence which supports the health benefits, psychological benefits, and in general the sense of well-being that comes from experiencing and expressing GRATITUDE. The book is THANKS:How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier.
So, as I sit here in my house with a kitchen drain clogged, wet towels all over the floor, empty bottles of drano, a used “snake” and a plugger, I am grateful that Mr. Rooter Rooter will be on his way at any moment. Am I grateful that the drain got clogged? Nope, but I am grateful that I have my wits about me, friends who have helped, and now, an “expert” who will come out at no extra “weekend charge” to unclog said drain…Bless you, Mr Rooter Rooter Man…(all the local plumbers operate only weekdays…extra charge on weekends)
Dr. Emmons describes 10 prescriptions for the benefits of gratitiude in his book. and now on the web site thanksbook.com, you can read some of his ideas…ideas which will give you
“hope.”
I have tried in the last few days to cut and paste these “gems” and I will try once again. If I fail, check out that website and read the prescriptions, that alone might lighten your load.
10 Prescriptions for Becoming More Thankful
(taken from the book Thanks by Robert Emmons. PhD)
1. Keep a Gratitude Journal - Establish a daily practice in which you remind yourself
of the gifts, grace, benefits, and good things you enjoy. Setting aside time on a daily
basis to recall moments of gratitude associated with ordinary events, your personal
attributes, or valued people in your life gives you the potential to interweave a
sustainable life theme of gratefulness.
2. Remember the Bad – To be grateful in your current state, it is helpful to remember
the hard times that you once experienced. When you remember how difficult life used to
be and how far you have come, you set up an explicit contrast in your mind, and this
contrast is fertile ground for gratefulness.
3. Ask Yourself Three Questions – Utilize the meditation technique known as
Naikan, which involves reflecting on three questions: “What have I received from __?”,
“What have I given to __?”, and “What troubles and difficulty have I caused?”
4. Learn Prayers of Gratitude – In many spiritual traditions, prayers of gratitude are
considered to be the most powerful form of prayer, because through these prayers
people recognize the ultimate source of all they are and all they will ever be.
5. Come to Your Senses – Through our senses - the ability to touch, see, smell, taste,
and hear – we gain an appreciation of what it means to be human and of what an
incredible miracle it is to be alive. Seen through the lens of gratitude, the human body is
not only a miraculous construction, but also a gift.
6. Use Visual Reminders – Because the two primary obstacles of gratefulness are
forgetfulness and a lack of mindful awareness, visual reminders can serve as cues to
trigger thoughts of gratitude. Often times, the best visual reminders are other people.
7. Make a Vow to Practice Gratitude – Research shows that making an oath to
perform a behavior increases the likelihood that the action will be executed. Therefore,
write your own gratitude vow, which could be as simple as “I vow to count my blessings
each day,” and post it somewhere where you will be reminded of it every day.
8. Watch your Language – Grateful people have a particular linguistic style that uses
the language of gifts, givers, blessings, blessed, fortune, fortunate, and abundance. In
gratitude, you should not focus on how inherently good you are, but rather on the
inherently good things that others have done on your behalf.
9. Go Through the Motions – If you go through grateful motions, the emotion of
gratitude should be triggered. Grateful motions include smiling, saying thank you, and
writing letters of gratitude.
10. Think Outside the Box – If you want to make the most out of opportunities to flex
your gratitude muscles, you must creatively look for new situations and circumstances in
which to feel grateful.
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