Ryan Joffe: The Practice Of Gratitude

As I try and shed my Covid19 weight, I have been listening to Podcasts while I exercise. The most recent had Neuroscientist and Stanford Professor Andrew Huberman Ph.D. being interviewed. During the interview he stated he practices gratitude which piqued my interest. This led me to do some research on the Topic. Below are some of the highlights of my readings.

Gratitude is the act of noticing and appreciating all the good things in your life. Gratitude practice is training yourself to notice and appreciate the good things, then expressing gratitude for them.

You need to train yourself to focus on what you’re grateful for, instead of the negative things which may be going on around you.

People who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they're thankful for experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems.

In a white paper titled, “The Science of Gratitude” (2018), Greater Good Science Center outlined several benefits to gratitude practice.

For the individual:

increased happiness and positive mood
more satisfaction with life
less materialistic
less likely to experience burnout
better physical health
better sleep
less fatigue
lower levels of cellular inflammation
greater resiliency
encourages the development of patience, humility, and wisdom

For groups:

increases prosocial behaviors
strengthens relationships
may help employees’ effectiveness
may increase job satisfaction

Researchers determined that gratitude does four things:

Gratitude disconnects us from toxic, negative emotions and the ruminating that often accompanies them. Writing a letter “shifts our attention” so that our focus is on positive emotions.
Expressing gratitude helps us even if we don’t explicitly share it with someone. We’re happier and more satisfied with life because we completed the exercise.
The positive effects of gratitude writing compound like interest. You might not notice the benefit of a daily or weekly practice, but after several weeks and months, you will.
A gratitude practice trains the brain to be more in tune with experiencing gratitude — a positive plus a positive, equal more positives.

Robert Emmons (2010), states that gratitude allows a person to:

Celebrate the present
Block toxic emotions (envy, resentment, regret, depression)
Be more stress-resilient, and
Strengthen social ties and self-worth.

Ways to make gratitude part of your day.

Keep a Gratitude Journal
Remember the Bad. To be grateful in your current state, it is helpful to remember the hard times that you once experienced.
Ask Yourself Three Questions: Utilize the meditation technique known as Naikan, which involves reflecting on three questions: “What have I received from __?”, “What have I given to __?”, and “What troubles and difficulty have I caused?”
Share Your Gratitude with Others.
Use Visual Reminders.
Make a Vow to Practice Gratitude.
Watch Your Language.
Go Through the Motions. Grateful motions include smiling, saying thank you, and writing letters of gratitude. By “going through grateful motions,” you’ll trigger the emotion of gratitude more often.
Think Outside the Box.
Notice the beauty in nature each day.
Nurture the friendships you have; good friends don’t come along every day.
Include an act of kindness in your life each day.
Avoid negative media and movies with destructive content.
Call your mom or dad more often...
Don’t gossip or speak badly about anyone.
Spend quality time with your kids, and loved ones
Remember to compliment your friends and family when they look good.
Write a card to someone you haven’t seen in a while and tell them something nice.
Add to your gratitude list daily, at least one more thing each day.
When you think a negative thought, try to see the positive side in the situation.
Commit to one day a week when you won’t complain about anything.
Try to take note when people do a good job and give recognition when it’s due at work.
Reward effort, if someone does something nice for you, do something nice for them.
Thank the people who serve you in the community — the shopkeeper, the bus drivers, etc.
Say thank you for the little things your loved ones do for you, things you normally take for granted.
Embrace challenges and turn them into opportunities to grow.
Be thankful when you learn something new.
See the growth opportunity in your mistakes.
Help your friends see the positive side to life.
When times are bad, focus on your friends who are at your side.
When time is good, notice and help others.
Make gratitude a part of family life, share it with each other during mealtime.
Practice gratitude at the same time every day to make it a habit.
Focus on your strengths.
Think about what lessons you can take away from stressful situations instead of solely focusing on your stress.
Write a positive review for a business that recently gave you a great experience.
Challenge yourself to minimize or completely diminish complaining and criticizing for a short period and reflect on how much energy you put towards these feelings.
Identify at least one positive thing that you appreciate or can learn when you’re faced with a seemingly bad situation.
Write thank you notes whenever possible.
Pick up a hobby you’ve been meaning to try. Making yourself happier can help you feel more grateful.
Meditate on things you’re grateful to have in your life.
Think about something or someone you’re thankful for right when you wake up.
Reflect on the people or things you’re thankful for at work while you’re getting ready to go home. Keep a gratitude list at work you can use to reflect
Post on social media about something you’re #grateful for.
Set a reminder for yourself on your phone to pause and think of something you’re grateful for in that moment.
Think of a positive thought whenever a negative thought pops up in your mind.
Keep a simple gratitude list and add to it every day.