Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I do love the food – in particular just about anything with sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and pecans! I also love relaxing and reconnecting with friends and family. But most of all, I love this simple reminder invoked by the Thanksgiving holiday …
Slow down. Count your blessings. Be thankful.
Focusing on gratitude around Thanksgiving makes me feel good right down to my core. And I’ve often wondered if there was a way to call up that positive feeling any time of year.
It turns out, an impressive amount of scientific studies about gratitude show that you can! These studies demonstrate that a simple practice of gratitude is a powerful way to make yourself happier and healthier.
In the rest of this article, I’d like to share some of these practices so that you can use them regularly in your own life.
The Study of Gratitude and Happiness
In a pioneering 2003 study, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami asked participants to each write something in a journal every week during a 10-week study.
- The first group was asked to write down five things they were grateful for from the previous week.
- The second group was asked to write down things from the previous week that irritated or displeased them.
- The third group was asked to just write down things from the previous week.
After 10 weeks, the first group was measurably happier and felt better about their lives than the other two groups. Even more, the first group also exercised an average of 1.5 hours more and had fewer visits to the doctor!
There are many more similar studies that suggest specific ways to apply this idea of practicing gratitude. Here are just a few:
- Gratitude journaling, either daily or weekly like in the study
- Verbalizing appreciation to people like your spouse, kids, employees, and tenants
- Saying thanks before a meal
- Writing thank-you notes (which boosts your happiness and the happiness of the person who receives the letter)
In addition to affecting your well-being, other studies show your attitude of gratitude can improve your relationships with others (and even make you sexier!).
As with many ideas in the world of psychology, it’s not clear the cause of these connections. But unlike pills with negative side effects, there are no negative side effects to this happiness prescription! So, what do you have to lose?
My Bedtime Practice of Gratitude
When I first read about this idea (in this awesome Philosophers Note by Brian Johnson), I decided it was too good not to start right away.
So, fairly consistently for the last few years, I have pulled out a notebook or journal before going to bed and I list 5 things I am grateful for.
The practice literally takes 2-3 minutes. It’s not difficult at all.
I just think back over the day, and I write down whatever comes to mind. Often it’s about my family, my health, friendships with people, accomplishments, and projects within my business.
But whatever I write, it tends to make me feel just a little better. It stops stress in its tracks, holds anxiety at bay, and gives me a much-needed perspective about my current life.
What Are 5 Things You Are Grateful For?
If you are considering creating your own practice of gratitude, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Why not try out the habit right now by sharing 5 things you are grateful for? I’ll go first, and then I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
“I am grateful for:
- the opportunity to share ideas with thousands of readers each week.
- that I know how to read and write (at least most of the time!)
- the internet, which allows me to connect with people in so many places.
- my wife, who sometimes edits my writing and always supports me
- the opportunity to grow, personally and financially.
Your turn!
What are you grateful for? It can be simple, silly, deep, or profound. Anything is fine. Just write down your gratitude list – either privately or in the comment section below.
And if you want to pass this simple but wonderful practice on to others, share this with a friend! Thank you.
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1- I am grateful for my Cristian parents who taught me by example what God’s love looks like day to day. No…not perfect, but better than I deserve and I fear greater than I can reproduce.
2- My wife, who shares my values, beliefs and love for family, but sees EVERYTHING else from a different perspective. She has (finally) taught me humility,respect and the art of negotiation. I’ve allowed her to practice patience.
3- My children are healthy and living out their lives with a very high mom and dad approval rating.
4- We have great friends, who are hosting us for Thanksgiving week, after our joint vacation fell through.
5- I’m grateful for the solid advice from this forum and thank you Chad for giving me this moment to reflect on things that matter most.
What a great list! Thank you for reading and commenting, Patrick.
Im thankful for, my family, my health, the roof over my head, the bed i sleep in, and the food i have to eat. I practice this on a daily basis and agree 100%. I live a better life because of it. I am also thankful for your thoughts Chad. Happy thanksgiving. Traci Burke
That’s beautiful Traci. Happy Thanksgiving, and thank you for reading and commenting.
I love this post. I don’t personally write things down nightly but we have a slightly different spin on it.
We lay down with our daughter in our bed and read her a book or two each night before putting her to bed and then we all say out loud 2-3 things we are thankful for. We started this as a way to teach her to be grateful. However, it has actually had a much bigger impact on us hearing her teach us everything we should be thankful for. “I get to lay down and read my books with Mommy and Daddy”. “My Mommy and Daddy love me”. etc. It’s an awesome, humbling daily experience to hear her come up with the “right” answers when we often can’t get it.
I can’t agree with you any more on the tone of this whole post and recommend everyone develop this habit in some way that works for them.
EE,
I love that ritual your family does at bedtime! So cool. It’s even better when you can be grateful together.
Our little bed-time spin with the kids is to read stories and then do our “roses,” “thorns,” and “buds.” The roses were happy things from today, thorns difficult things, and buds are something we’re looking forward to tomorrow. We haven’t done it lately, so you’ve inspired me to get back into that.
Cheers!
This is a great activity. And, if you can, the more specific you can be the bigger boost to happiness there is (sorry not citation for that comment. I just remember reading it in a happiness book – and it’s been my experience). For example, instead of just saying I’m thankful for spending time with my daughter today. I try to be more specific – I’m thankful that I got to put my daughter’s hair in a pony tail as she sat patiently in my lap and then turned and said “thank you, daddy” when I was done.
Thank you for this timely reminder. Daily gratitude used to be part of my daily routine but I’ve gotten out of the habit. It seems we’ve all been focused on fear and uncertainty lately. It feels good to have this routine in my life again. Thank you very much!
I always write things first to remind myself:) Practicing gratitude is always so helpful for me when I build it into my life. Best of luck!
1. I’m thankful for a God who loves me, and us!
2. Rachel, my wife
3. Matthew, my son
4. Henry, my son
5. Jameson, my son (debuting April 2021!)
Thanks for sharing this, Coach!
I apprecite the list, Josh! Gratitude all around!
1. I am grateful to my wife who has been my partner through this journey. Her support and cheer leading started on day 1 and never wavered through both ups and downs.
2. I am grateful for the health of our entire family. Nothing else we do in life will mean a lot if we don’t have the health to enjoy it.
3. I am grateful to my clients that allow me to run the business I do and have the freedom and amazing life I enjoy every day.
4. I am really grateful to my first grade teacher and my reading teacher who spotted I had a reading issue when I was just learning and addressed it immediately. Because of their support an attention I was able to successfully finish an MBA in college and become a life long avid reader and learner and enjoy all that comes with that.
beautiful! Thanks for sharing, Michael.
Thanks for the uplifting post Coach, really appreciated it. Like the comment above also about being specific – that deeper level of introspection really deepens the appreciation for me. So my list:
1) I appreciate my wife, who steadfastly supports my dreams as we build towards financial independence
2) I am thankful for my job – I look forward to the day I leave it, but am thankful for the financial rewards it has given me that will make that possible at the time of my choosing
3) I am thankful for the joy of watching my 14 year old son play baseball in the sun here in Arizona, and at times excel beyond my dreams
4) I am thankful for my 9-year old daughter, who’s naturally inclination towards joy always inspires me that I can do at this myself
5) I am thankful for a God who gave me the sport of ultrarunning, and the many family adventures that have resulted from it – and that at age 54 he is still gifting me with the ability to get out there and compete.
You are right, writing these down does feel good! Have a great Thanksgiving Chad!
These are wonderful! Thank for you sharing, Jules!