December e-news
Dr Suzy Green
Merry Christmas! The silly season is in full swing. Lots of laughter, love and light refreshments (French champagne perhaps or bubbly mineral water with a slice of lime, if you prefer!). Beware the temptation of gluttony with all the Christmas delights ie rum balls, pudding and the infamous Christmas lunch. Of course, it also becomes a time to practice the virtue of temperance defined as auspicious self-restraint rather than denial and abstinence (see viastrengths.org). This is the time when quality over quantity counts and the art of savoring becomes mindfulness practice in everyday life.
Last month I continued to highlight the benefits of regular mindfulness practice. I am hoping many of you are now "book-ending" your days with a 5-10 minute practice; have become committed meditators; or at the very least are much more "mindful of being mindful"! A course or workshop in mindfulness meditation might make the top 10 goals list for 2008 or a thoughtful Christmas gift?
Month 12 - Cultivating Gratitude - Using the science of gratitude to enhance well-being
Media coverage of the positive psychology movement continues to increase and whether you've read one or many of these articles, most seem to include references to the ever-expanding research base on the benefits of cultivating gratitude for enhanced happiness, vitality and overall well-being. This month we'll start to skim the surface of this research.
This Month's Action Plan - Saying "Thank you"
What is gratitude? Most of us have a general understanding of what it means to be grateful ie an acknowledgement of a gift, recognition of something of value that I have, an appreciation of the intentions of the actions of someone who has done something for me or given something to me. In positive psychology, saying "thank you" has become a serious topic of consideration where cultivating gratitude has become a new science.
One of the key researchers of gratitude in the positive psychology movement is Robert Emmons. Robert Emmons is also a well-known researcher of goals and in particular the types of goals that we strive for and the impact on our well-being (I will discuss this further next month when goals (new years resolutions) become the topic of the month.
Emmons conceives gratitude in two stages. Firstly, "acknowledging" goodness in one's life. This can be at the micro level ie a small gift that is valued; or at the macro level ie an appreciation of life and the elements in it that make life worth living. Secondly, Emmons says gratitude is "recognizing" that the source of this goodness lies outside oneself ie friends, others, God. Emmons states this is how gratitude as an emotion is different from other emotions. For example, one can be angry at oneself however to be grateful for oneself seems "bizarre".
If we look a little closer at "acknowledging" and "recognising" we will see that they are "mindful" acts ie the observation of something special in an ordinary day eg driving to work you notice the spectacular colour purple of a jacaranda tree and you feel glad to be alive. As you can see, gratitude requires effort. Emmons states "it is not for the intellectually lethargic"!
Overall being grateful acknowledges that there are good, enjoyable and wonderful things in the world. Although for many suffering with depression or those that are "languishing" in life, finding things to be grateful for might seem difficult or forced. However several research studies have shown that depression is strongly inversely related to gratitude ie the more grateful a person is, the less the depressed they are.
Embracing an attitude of gratitude
Christmas is a wonderful time to embrace an attitude of gratitude ie a sense of gratitude for all we receive and also for the relationships we have cultivated through the year, which are often highlighted at this time. Again this is an opportunity to practice mindfulness. Focusing your attention on what you do have rather than on what you don't can affect your well-being significantly.
The experience of gratitude as en emotion is associated with a positive, desirable state that most people find enjoyable. Gratitude can be experienced in the "now" or as a reflection on the past ie positive reminiscing - which has also been shown to be associated with the experience of enhanced positive emotions.
Over the month of December, you might like to keep a gratitude journal where you (and your partner) keep a record of 3-5 things that you are grateful for on a regular basis. Recent research has shown that doing this once a week versus daily leads to larger significant increases in positive emotions (Sheldon & Lyubomirsky, 2006).
The conscious acknowledgement of gratitude helps us to develop a mindset of abundance rather than one of deprivation. The things you write down in your gratitude journal don't have to be material possessions (as we know from research that increased wealth and belongings don't necessarily lead to increased happiness and well-being). Try identifying the little or simple things ie sitting on a sun-drenched porch with a pot of freshly brewed tea, chatting to a best buddy on the phone or something as important as your health or your children's health. It really is a change in attitude or mindset that increases contentment for all you have in life and all that life gives, often without the expensive price tag attached.
I will return to the research on gratitude in 2008, as there is much more to this than meets the eye. However in the meantime, perhaps just start with a mindful "thank you" to each Christmas wish or gift you receive, and one to life each morning that you wake for another precious day on this planet.
Next Month...
I'll be reviewing goal-setting for 2008. In the meantime, perhaps write up a list of potential goals and then bring that along to Month 1 in 2008 for a goals check-up ie are your goals set up for success?
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it"
William Arthur Ward
Dr Suzy Green
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