As an Adjunct Professor at Drury University, I would assign my students the task of writing a letter of gratitude to someone in their life who they felt had made a significant impact upon them. I asked the students to be specific and detailed while writing the gratitude letter in the way that person had influenced their life. I required the students to schedule a meeting with that person and to read the letter to them in person. If meeting the person was not possible, I required the students to call the person and read the letter to them over the phone. After completing that part of the assignment I then asked the students to write down their perceptions of how they believed the recipient of the letter responded and then to record how they felt as the one offering gratitude.
Initially, there were some moans, groans, and other complaints such as “I can’t do this,” “I don’t know anyone,” “Do we have to,” and other creative responses. I would remind them that topass this course of Positive Psychology they would have to complete the assignment. Each semester, every year, after completing the assignment most of my students would report back amazing results. Every year or two there was the occasional student who would report back that nothing significant happened. Also, there were a few times that some students declared that their experience had been life changing.
Gratitude is just being grateful and thankful to life and all that life brings us, to others, to ourselves, to God, to Nature, to just life itself. The benefits of living a grateful life are enormous, endless, and powerful. Living a grateful lifestyle can be life-changing and research shows it can be brain changing. The neuroscience of gratitude shows that it impacts relationships, resilience, mental and physical health. When we experience gratitude, it creates physiological changes at the neurotransmitter level of the brain (Fox et. al., Frontiers in Psychology, 2015). Also, gratitude regulates the sympathetic nervous system and can condition the brain to filter the negative ruminations and focus on positive thoughts (Wong et. al., Psychotherapy Research, 2018.)
In fact, the simple act of expressing gratitude has been linked to increased happiness and a greater sense of well-being. Sharing appreciation not only strengthens bonds with others but also helps individuals shift their perspective from what’s lacking to recognizing the abundance in their lives. By cultivating gratitude, people often discover new meaning in everyday experiences and develop a deeper connection to those around them.
The simple practice of being grateful will improve sleep, enhance the immune system, reduce pain, control anxiety, manage stress, and increase resiliency. The good news is that gratitude does not cost one penny. It has zero negative side effects. It can be practiced anywhere and anytime.
You begin your gratitude practice by writing a letter of gratitude to someone who had a significant impact upon your life. At the end of each day write down 3 things for which you were grateful for that day and why you were grateful. Start a gratitude journal by writing down your thoughts and feelings and the grateful experiences of the day. Stand in front of a mirror and verbalize things you appreciate about yourself. Identify some of your strengths and successes. Offer prayers of gratitude to God or try doing gratitude meditations.
You can begin by just verbalizing one thing right now for which you are grateful. How hard can that be? Remember living a grateful lifestyle can be life changing. Give it a try. It is free of charge.
