Thanks"G"iving

Thanksgiving is a holiday to be with those we love.  No presents.  No expectations except to be together around a table for a traditional meal with family recipes.  It’s also a day to reflect and give thanks for what we have, and whom we have, in our lives.

 Gratitude is powerful.  It actually has health benefits, and is part of a growing field called positive psychology which has gotten lots of publicity lately.  A web search reveals that the practice of keeping a gratitude journal has been shown to increase optimism, improve sleep, protect against heart attacks, and in general, gives us a sense of well-being with fewer physical ailments.

One of my health coach colleagues, Lorraine Miller, has created a gratitude journal called From Gratitude to Bliss: A Journal in Health and Happiness.  Lorraine believes strongly in a daily dose of "Vitamin G."  In her recent newsletter, Lorraine says:

“I have found this unbelievably simple practice to have profound effects on how we approach life, handle stress, heal our bodies and shift our minds.”

Think about ways to bring more gratitude into your life.  A tradition in our home is to go around the table before we start our Thanksgiving dinner and say one thing each of us is grateful for.  Gratitude moves the focus from ourselves to others, and sends these good messages out into the world.  Gratitude becomes infectious: when we hear someone expressing gratitude, we are more likely to do so ourselves.

You may want to try keeping a small notebook by your bed, and before going to sleep, jotting down three things for which you are grateful.  They can be simple, like having a roof over your head and enough to eat, or being grateful for the people in your life.  Maybe something good happened at work or something unexpected made you smile.  Whatever it is, you will likely be healthier and happier having had your dose of Vitamin "G" for the day.