Three “Grateful” Ways to Access Joy and Happiness

Dr Robert Emmons, a leader in the field and professor at UC-Davis, has looked at gratitude from an interdisciplinary perspective, including literature, psychology, religion and anthropology. He has shown that gratitude or an attitude of thankfulness is the direct path to calmness, joy, resilience, better relationships and health. I use two of the techniques outlined below and I started using the third one recently with great results.

1. Gratitude Journal
Take a few minutes just before you go to bed to write three things that you are grateful for. Reflect on these blessings and events. Consider expected bad events that did not happen. You can repeat the same items from previous journal entries, but add a new twist. If I mention a delicious meal that my wife cooked for us, I add a note about what was special that night about the meal. It just takes 5-10 minutes but you will sleep better and wake up more energized after this practice.

2. Gratitude Notes and Letters
I try to write a note of appreciation every week to some friend or person who helped me at work or at a volunteer organization such as the local PTA or Scouting organization. As I write the letter, I take time to reflect on specific details of what I enjoyed about the experience and how that person or persons made that happen. While people appreciate getting such notes, they are great fun to write. Gratitude letters are more involved. I ask my “Happiness” Seminar participants to pick an important person in their lives (most pick a very close friend, spouse or family member) and write a long letter about why they are grateful to that person. People write in detail about events, acts of kindness and support they received. Once the letter is done, they are encouraged to meet the person face-to-face and read out the letter. It is a very powerful and positive experience and the after-glow of good feeling lasts days, if not months! Try it out!

3. Gratitude Meditation
A powerful way to experience gratitude is to incorporate it into your meditation practice. There are several methods for this meditation. My friend Subba (http://beingsattvaa.com.sg/ ) is based in Singapore.  Check out the website. He has an beautiful brand new Yoga resort in the tropical island Bali where he teaches individual and corporate lifestyle programs. He led us through an awesome “gratitude” guided meditation based on the homes we live in.

Subba  has allowed us to make a recording of this gratitude meditation  available for free download. I urge you to check it out.  Scroll to the bottom of this article.

"Gratitude Meditation" ©2014, Subba Vaidyanathan, All Rights Reserved.

What if these Gratitude Exercises Do Not Work for You?

Similar to any new concept, feelings of gratitude may not come easily to some of us. Shannon Polly (check link to article below) suggests that we work at it regularly.  It is very easy to take some of our blessing for granted. Shannon suggests that you use the power of contrast (compare yourself with someone else or some other situation).  Diligent and deliberate practice can help.     For some of my students, "Forgiveness" exercises help! Yep! That is another blog article! Thanks for reading!

Send us your comments and questions! Please! How do you practice gratitude on a daily basis? Check out these books by Robert Emmons

References

• Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier Hardcover by Robert Emmons
• Gratitude Works!: A 21-Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity by Robert A. Emmons
• Struggling with Gratitude by Shannon Polly