Gratitude Day

The Key to Happy Holidays in Tough Times

Gratitude day, otherwise known as Thanks Giving, just may be the key to having Happy Holidays in Tough Times. An Attitude of gratitude, even for a short time, has been shown to increase happiness 25%. Lucky for us in these tough times, science proves that money can’t buy happiness but gratitude can.

What is Gratitude?

Gratitude is expressing thanks for gifts we have received. Gratitude is a basic human emotion expressed in some way by all ancient and modern cultures. According to Dr. Robert Emmons, a leading gratitude researcher and author of the book thanks! , the idea of receiving a gift is central to the concept of gratitude. When we go beyond just appreciating something to acknowledging that we have received a gift that we did not earn, we move into gratitude.

The Power of Gratitude

New research is shows that practicing gratitude may be the fastest single pathway to happiness, health, long life, and prosperity. In a remarkable study performed by Dr. Emmons, people who kept a gratitude journal for just 3 weeks measured 25% higher on life satisfaction afterwards. They exercised more, drank alcohol less, and their families and friends noticed that they were nicer to be around. And the effects lasted for several months beyond the initial 3 week study. Other studies on gratitude are confirming these results.

Gratitude Day

Developing gratitude is surprisingly easy. Even if you only set aside one day, Thanks Giving, as a gratitude day you can start to see results.

In her book, Thank You Power, Making the Science of Happiness Work For You, Deborah Norville talks about her gratitude day. Just when everything seemed to be going her way, she got caught in an airport during heavy weather. The more she managed to be grateful, the more amazing luck she seemed to have.

You can try this experiment yourself this Thanksgiving. Resolve to make this your Gratitude Day and see if the world doesn’t seem a little rosier at the end.

Gratitude Day Activities

Here are some suggestions for getting your thoughts turned towards gratitude:

1. Measure Your happiness at the beginning and end of the day. Jot down how happy you are on a scale of 1 – 5, then note the things that you think about when you ask yourself How happy am I? Are you thinking about the celebrations to come, the dread of Uncle Fred, or the frustration at the office? Then spend the whole day looking for things you feel grateful for and repeat the rating at the end of the day.
2. Gratitude Meditation. Sit comfortably in a place where you will not be disturbed for a while and take a few slow, deep breaths. On the in breath, say to yourself, I am grateful for… and then say what pops into your mind as you breath out. Keep this up for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. List one nice thing each person at your Thanks Giving table has done for you. Notice those little kindnesses. Sometimes it takes a little effort. You might even want to make this a game and ask each person to list something nice they have received from everyone else at the table.
4. Think about the source of your gifts. We tend to think about gifts as presents, but they are also ordinary things we did not make ourselves. When you think about where things come from, sometimes you see them in a different light. For example, can you list all the people, or jobs done by people, that went into getting electricity or heat to your home? What about all the people that created the food to the table?
5. Play the Glad Game. Brainstorm all the things you have to be glad about. You might be glad you are indoors because the weather outside is cold and rainy. Or you might be glad you have the day off. Make this a game by having everyone around you brainstorm about things they are glad about. Make a list so everyone can see the ideas. You can also brainstorm alone by making a list of everything that comes to mind.

   Attitude of Gratitude

   Whatever method you choose, there are quick and easy ways to develop more gratitude. How fortunate for us that this powerhouse of happiness and success is so easy to get. So take the time to develop an attitude of gratitude and you can enjoy a happier life now- no purchase necessary.
   
   

   Check out our other articles on Happy Holidays in Tough Times and on Gratitude, including:

   
   To help celebrate Gratitude Day, look at How to Write and Appreciation Letter
   Virtues and Strengths
   Give the Gift of Happiness
   Attitude of Gratitude
   
   
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