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Season of gratitude can change your attitude

Thursday, November 2, 2017

Category: Health and wellness

Season of gratitude can change your attitude

By: Livia Ungurean

Gratitude journal with coffee and flowers

 

Ann Voskamp, author of “One Thousand Gifts,” expresses that gratitude is a way of life. “The practice of giving thanks…eucharisteo...this is the way we practice the presence of God, stay present to His presence, and it is always a practice of the eyes. We don’t have to change what we see. Only the way we see.”

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I reached out to Messiah College Psychology Associate Professor and Clinical Psychologist Valerie Lemmon, who uses the practice of gratitude in therapy sessions. The holiday season can be difficult, full of increased levels of stress and anxiety. People are seeking happiness in the midst of chaos--which tends to be short lived—rather than seeking lasting joy.

Inspired by Voskamp’s book “One Thousand Gifts,” Lemon explains, “as long as thankfulness is possible, then joy is always possible.” Lemmon encourages her clients to keep a journal, so at the end of the night they can record the parts of their day that they are grateful for. This practice produces mindfulness—the idea of being present, in the moment.

With her journal next to her bedside, she sits and reflects on her day. “It’s all about being mindful,” she says. “I have to pay attention, be present and in the moment, to even recognize these moments. Later on as I reflect, I think ‘yeah that’s something to be thankful for.’”

Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

How can you start actively practicing thankfulness throughout your day?

Required items: Journal, pencil/pen
Steps:

1. Create a designated timeframe and location.

Keep a journal next to your bed or in a consistent place to weave this practice into your daily routine. Pair it with another behavior that already exists, such as brushing your teeth. Designate the time immediately after a consistent behavior to reflect and write in your journal.

2. Take three minutes out of your morning/night.

Reflect and write three things you were thankful for that day. “There is hope and transformative power in counting our blessings and naming the good gifts of God . . . If you want to discover the rhythms of grace, joy and true thankfulness, count the gifts God has given and the ones He is giving you even at this moment…” writes Voskamp.

3. Do not write the same thing twice; this encourages you to look deeper.

Find different components throughout your day that you are grateful for. For example:
  1. For the sun peeking through my window when I wake
  2. The sweet aroma of coffee
  3. A smile from my neighbor

These may feel like little things, but the act of recognizing them creates a greater impact. This practice will help you invite thankfulness and joy into your life, while leaving less room for sadness and depression. “I started this right around Thanksgiving, five years ago. I needed to move beyond my hurt and suffering to a place of peace and thankfulness,” revealed Lemmon.

This is not the cure, but a way of exercising a healthy mindset. Think about it like brushing your teeth--it is not a “once and done” thing, but one that is a change in lifestyle that needs to be repeated over and over. Lemmon adds, “If I’m going to maintain joy in my life, I’m going to have to seek thankfulness for the rest of my life.” Be mindful about being thankful. The more you focus on being attentive to what you’re thankful for, the more you will be attentively appreciative in the moment, as well as later on when reflecting. Challenge yourself this season, to find God in the smallest moments of gratitude.