ARTICLE - The Inner Peace of Gratitude
According to Wikipedia, "the systematic study of gratitude within psychology only began around the year 2000, possibly because psychology has traditionally been focused more on understanding distress rather than understanding positive emotions." Given that, it makes sense that we are still learning about how to feel grateful.
In my experience, it is definitely a practice. There are times that gratitude comes easy for me, and there are times that it can be hard to muster it up.
It is worth the effort though, as empirical findings show that grateful people are more likely to have higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress and depression.
Statistics from World Poverty report that "if you have a full fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are wealthier than 75% of the world's population. As we prepare for this Thanksgiving holiday here in the US, I imagine that many of those refrigerators are overflowing.
Gratitude is a perspective, and so it is a choice to feel grateful. When you review the evidence above, it seems like it should be second nature to feel grateful.
And, even with all the evidence, there are times in my life where it can be difficult to choose it. For example, when I have worked diligently on a project and the result is "less than" what I wanted, I often choose disappointment. And then I collect all sorts of evidence to support my disappointment. This, too, is my choice.
How do I shift from disappointment to gratitude?
- PAUSE and feel where the tension is in my body, because disappointment always equals tension in my body
- Acknowledge the tension and breathe into it with the intention of releasing and relaxing
- Remind myself that life is a series of experiences and it is ALWAYS my choice how to respond and learn from them
- Become present with the moment…note the food in the fridge, the clothes on my back, the home I am living in, and the bed I get to sleep in
- Smile at my human-ness, and embrace the wild journey of life…living an organic and orgasmic life, that is.
May you find the gratitude in simple things today…being able to take another breath and experience another amazing day on this planet!
