Gratitude is good for health
On a day of thanks, we're reminded to be grateful, and experts say it's good for our health.
Joel Wong, professor of counseling and psychology at Indiana University whose research includes positive psychology, encourages the practice of gratitude to be part of our daily routine.
It's a matter of thinking about what one's grateful for, writing it down and finding the reason why.
Wong provides steps for cultivating gratitude:
- Focus on expressing gratitude for the little things in life that we tend to take for granted: the weather, finding parking, our workplace
- Start a daily gratitude journal. Each day, write down three things you're grateful and find a reason why you're grateful. Providing a reason encourages us to be specific about the things for which we're grateful.
- Each day, make it a habit to express heartfelt gratitude to someone. Don't assume people know you are grateful to them; they can't read our minds.
- At least once a year, write a letter of gratitude to someone important in your life whom you have not properly thanked. Explain the impact this person has had and provide specific examples of what the person did that made a positive difference in your life. Send the letter to the person and consider reading it aloud to them.
