This morning I opened my blog, as I often do, so see who's been here. I read comments and that little box over to the left caught my eye. It's the one that I put there because I was going to make sure that I was thankful for the WHOLE month rather than just focusing on my blessings during that one week...or worse, that one day. And a tinge of guilt came over me as I noticed that I stopped on Nov. 5th...EIGHT days ago!
THEN, on my way to work this morning, the DJ's started talking about the "health benefits" of gratitude and being thankful. They cited some research and I again found myself thinking, "You didn't even keep FIVE days worth of gratitude!"
When I got to work, I looked up the research and decided I'd share it here as a reminder that we all need to be thankful for many many reasons. Just like my Mom used to say about my vegetables..."It's good for you!" Look at this:
- Young adults who took part in self-guided daily gratitude exercises, as opposed to members of a control group who focused on hassles, reported higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, energy and were more likely to help someone.
- In a 21-day study of people with neuromuscular diseases (such as muscular dystrophy and polio), those who practiced gratitude felt more energy, more connected to others, slept better and were more optimistic.
- People who regularly attend religious services and engage in spiritual activities are more likely to be grateful, feel more interconnected to all life and express more responsibility to others.
- People who report high rates of gratitude are less likely to judge their success based on their material wealth and success.
This is highly useful data. Gathered in large part by psychologists Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis, and Michael McCullough of the University of Miami, it supports those who seek empirical evidence that it will do them good to practise gratitude.
I know that we often talk about our blessings. And I often tell myself, in my head, about all that I'm thankful for...but I don't know that I tell OTHERS what I'm thankful for. And more important, I don't think I tell those who deserve my gratitude just how much they are appreciated.
It's never too late to start. I'm going to start by updating my list today....
What are you going to do to show thanks today?
6 comments:
Thanks Susan for reminding me to give thanks. Just yesterday my hubby was talking about how our life has changed. We did not expect to be in the "shape" we are in at a relatively young age. But then we began to look at all we DO have and realized we have much for which to be thankful. It's all in how you look at things. SO, thanks for the reminder.
Oh, just so you know, I am thankful for you and your friendship and I hope we get to see each other again soon.
A very good reminder. I begin each day Thanking God that He allows me the privelege to be His child!!!! WOW!!! I never get over the truth of that :o)
Susan
good reminder, especially today when I am having one of those days and had a good whine/complaint/temper tantrum session with God. Yeah.....I am a work in progress. Off to post my own thanksgiving for this month......starting with Nov. 1. I am sure I can come up with LOTS cause I am blessed.
I am grateful that Mom and I will celebrate 45 in December. :)
Thank you for your blog Susan. :) And this entry was a good reminder for me to be more thankful as well.
I think we can all use reminders to give thanks more often! I seem to remember to thank God a lot more often than I remember to thank people. So... Thank YOU for the reminder to be more thankful! I think 13 days into this is a little late to start... maybe I'll choose to do it in December instead! ;) (you know... i gotta be an oddball...)
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