Gratitude The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
The Benefits of Gratitude
From Psychology Today– Gratitude is an emotion expressing appreciation for what one has—as opposed to, for example, a consumer-driven emphasis on what one wants. Gratitude is getting a great deal of attention as a facet of positive psychology: Studies show that we can deliberately cultivate gratitude, and can increase our well-being and happiness by doing so. In addition, gratefulness—and especially expression of it to others—is associated with increased energy, optimism, and empathy.
I started keeping a gratitude journal in the late 1990’s when the book Simple Abundance came out. In fact I think I still have the book in a box. I had a lot to be grateful for and having just graduated law school there was so much I was looking forward to. I was pretty faithful to it for a few years but as work and life got busier I let the habit go. I picked it back up often through the years but it has been several years since maintained it for more than a week or so. I am going to try again. There seems to be increasing evidence from actual scientific studies that keeping a gratitude journal of some kind does have positive effects on a person’s emotional well-being and they even slept better, had less physical complaints and exercised more. I am all for that!!
As you know I am not feeling particularly grateful, and the first things on my list are things that are no longer a part of my life. I am however, so grateful that they were so I include them. Hopefully in the future I will have more things in the present to include. I know I won’t be any more perfect at this than before but that’s OK, I have to start somewhere. Let’s see what changes it brings.