Thursday, November 24, 2011

Gratitude Day

A L O H A !

The Creator Has A Master Plan by Pharoah Sanders on Grooveshark




“If you want to sleep more soundly,
count blessings,
not sheep,”

Robert A. Emmons, 
University of California, Davis
Thanks!
 his book on gratitude research







God does not need our gratitude,
nor does any other benefactor
so much as we ourselves
need to know it
and express it.










“ If you have lived,
take thankfully the past. "

John Dryden


"As each day comes to us
refreshed and anew,
so does my gratitude 
renew itself daily. 
The breaking of the sun 
over the horizon 
is my grateful heart
dawning
upon a blessed world. "

Terri Guillemets











Try a gratitude visit. 
This exercise, recommended by 
Martin Seligman 
of the University of Pennsylvania,
 begins with writing a 300-word letter
to someone who changed your life for the better.
 Be specific about what the person did and how it affected you. 

Deliver it in person, preferably without telling
the person in advance what the visit is about. 

When you get there, read the whole thing slowly
to your benefactor.
 “You will be happier and less depressed 
one month from now,”
Dr. Seligman guarantees 
in his book “Flourish.”





















" Cultivating an “attitude of gratitude”
has been linked to better health, sounder sleep,
 less anxiety and depression, higher long-term satisfaction with life and kinder behavior
 toward others, including romantic partners. 

A new study shows that feeling grateful
makes people less likely to turn aggressive

when provoked.


Start with “gratitude lite.” 
That’s the term used by Robert A. Emmons, 
of the University of California, Davis 
(the pepper-spray university!)
in his pioneering experiments he conducted
along with Michael E. McCullough
at the University of Miami.

They instructed people to keep a journal
listing five things
for which they felt grateful,
 like a friend’s generosity, something they’d learned,
a sunset they’d enjoyed.

The gratitude journal was brief 
— just one sentence for each of the five things —
and done only once a week,
but after two months there were significant effects. 
Compared with a control group, the people keeping
 the gratitude journal were more optimistic 

and felt happier
They reported fewer physical problems
 and spent more time working out.

Further benefits were observed 

in a study of polio survivors 
and other people
with neuromuscular problems.

The ones who kept a gratitude journal 

reported feeling happier
and more optimistic
than those in a control group,
 and these reports were corroborated

by observations from their spouses. 
(can't fool them!)

These grateful people also fell asleep
more quickly at night, 
slept longer and woke up
feeling more refreshed.

Go for deep gratitude. 
Once you’ve learned to count your blessings,
Dr. Emmons says, 
you can think bigger.

“As a culture, we have lost a deep sense

of gratefulness
about the freedoms we enjoy,
a lack of gratitude
 toward those who lost their lives

in the fight for freedom, 
a lack of gratitude
for all the material advantages
 we have,” he says. 

“The focus of Thanksgiving should be 
a reflection of how our lives 
have been made so much more
 comfortable
by the sacrifices of those
who have come before us.”

Derived from an article that appeared in print 

on November 22, 2011,
 on page D1 of the New York Times, 

NY Edition with the headline:
A Serving of Gratitude May Save the Day.

 
I'm grateful for YOU
your visit is a gift
that I cherish!
                                                      Warmly, cloudia