Christmas

Christmas and Gratitude

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”

~ Melody Beattie

                  For many, the holidays are very busy.  Along with gathering and feasting with family and friends, it’s also the time of year that offers the opportunity to committing ourselves to cultivating an “attitude of gratitude” to carry throughout the holiday season and beyond.  Recent scientific studies show us that by regularly expressing gratitude, even for the small things in life, could help us feel more positive emotions, decrease depressive symptoms, sleep better, and even build stronger and healthier immune systems.

Tools to help you increase your sense of gratitude:

·       Take advantage of technology. Use free apps like http://www.stopbreathethink.org/ or simply jot dot things in a virtual list or text message to yourself. Note things you are thankful for as they happen throughout your day, and review them often.

·       Create a gratitude journal and keep it by your bed. Before you fall asleep, reflect on you day by making note of things you are grateful for experiencing.

·       Create a gratitude jar, bowl, or trinket box.  Set out to write each thing you feel grateful about on a small piece of paper.  As time goes on, the jar will fill. And, in case you are having a difficult time finding something to be thankful for, you can always look back in the jar you already created for inspiration.

·       Set the stage for a grateful day!  Before you even get out of bed, think about how grateful you are for the opportunities that await you. Will you be visiting with friends? Seeing a movie? Taking a walk? By doing this, you have already set yourself up to approach the day with an “attitude of gratitude.”