Gratitude & Living Well

An Exercise in Gratitude

I found this exercise while looking for an easy to practice, meaningful way to improve the frequencies of positive emotions. I have seen this create great experiences.

-Ben DeJesus, LCSW

“The Exercise: At the end of the day, write a list of at least five things that happened during the day that you are grateful for. At the end of the week, read it out loud to a friend, partner, or mindfulness companion.

REMINDING YOURSELF

Keep a notepad and pencil or pen beside your bed or on your pillow. When you get into bed at night, write your list before you lie down and fall asleep.

DISCOVERIES

When people first do this practice, they often think that they will have trouble making a list of at least five things they are grateful for. However, they are surprised to find that when they start, the list often grows longer. It is as if a long-neglected faucet were turned on, and the flow doesn’t shut off. During the day you may find yourself taking mental notes of “things to add to the list.” This encourages a lovely transformation into a mind-state of ongoing gratitude.

Research conducted by Lywbomirsky shows that 40 percent of happiness is determined by our intentional activities. People who keep a daily “gratitude journal” or who regularly express gratitude to people who have been kind to[…]”

“phenomenon. Anything that is fed energy will grow. It may seem artificial at first, but when we deliberately cultivate gratitude, we will gradually become naturally grateful people. (Conversely, if we cultivate negative mind-states, jealousy, or criticism, they will become who we are.)”

Excerpt From: Jan Chozen Bays, MD. “How to Train a Wild Elephant.” iBooks.

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