Thanksgiving and Gratitude in Hard Times

Darlene Lancer, author of “Codependency for Dummies,” writes about Gratitude – something that can be difficult to feel when times are difficult.

Gratitude – it is often an illusive feeling, let alone concept to practice – especially when times are difficult. Yet consciously looking for that which one can be grateful can be life changing – especially for those living with the family disease of addiction.

The following is a guest post by Darlene Lancer, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and author of How To Speak Your Mind – Become Assertive and Set Limits, Codependency for Dummies and 10 Steps to Self-Esteem: The Ultimate Guide to Stop Self-Criticism. She’s worked with individuals and couples for over 25 years and maintains private practice in Santa Monica, CA and coaches internationally. Visit her website and follow her on Facebook as Darlene Lancer and Codependency. You may also wish to follow her blog at WhatIsCodependency.com.

Thanksgiving and Gratitude in Hard Times

With Thanksgiving approaching, many Americans struggling with health, financial, and emotional problems find it challenging to feel grateful. Some people always have a habit of looking at the negative. One reason for this is that our brains our predisposed to solve problems, and we take what makes us comfortable for granted.

Religion

All world religions stress the importance of gratitude. In Judaism, prayers of gratefulness are an essential component of worship, which orthodox Jews recite one hundred times a day. Gratitude was referred to by Martin Luther as a “basic Christian attitude.” The Quran states that the grateful will given more. Moslem believers are encouraged to give thanks five times a day. Sufi, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions also emphasize giving thanks.

Moreover, religion exhorts that you should be grateful notwithstanding your current problems and circumstances – not to deny them, but in addition and in spite of them. To feel gratitude only when you feel good is considered narrow-minded. In the Bible, Paul teaches, “In everything give thanks.” The Hebrew Midrash instructs, “In pleasure or pain, give thanks!” Islamic tradition says that those who give thanks in every circumstance will be the first to enter paradise.

The purpose of prayer is to open you to the presence of God. When it’s heartfelt, it changes you. Prayers of gratitude affirm God’s presence in everything and potentiate infinite possibilities.

Why Be Grateful?

The mystic, Meister Eckhart believed that thanking God was the most important prayer. Prophets and monks know that gratitude brings you closer to God. Even if you’re not religious, gratitude enables you to see your life in a larger context beyond your immediate troubles. It expands your experience of life and counteracts an ego-centered contraction and preoccupation with losses, fears, and wants. Being grateful only when good things happen reinforces your ego’s demand that good things happen, setting up greater disappointment when things don’t turn out as you desire. This, according to Buddha, is the cause of suffering

The sages also knew that gratitude actually shifts your perspective from feeling depressed, envious, angry, or self-pity to a happier mood. It can open your heart to joy and generosity because you begin to feel that you’re blessed. Moreover, how you view your circumstances determines your ability to manage and overcome them. Often it’s worry or anxiety about the future that colors how you see a situation. Negative emotions limit your imagination and ability to cope and solve problems. Hence, your state of mind ultimately is more important than your outer experience.

“Nothing is either good or bad. It’s thinking that makes it so.” ~ Ben Franklin

Cultivating an attitude of acceptance enables you to feel grateful even when you’re in pain. It’s helpful to view all experience is an opportunity to grow and learn. Wrote Helen Keller, “Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” Rather than seeing yourself as a victim of circumstance, acceptance of reality and developing gratitude for what you do have verses focusing on what you don’t empowers you to take appropriate action.

With the advent of the positive psychology movement, gratitude was only recently subjected to empirical research. What religion has known for millennia, science has confirmed. Numerous studies suggest that grateful people are more likely to have higher levels of happiness and sense of well-being and lower levels of stress and depression. This naturally translates into better physical health.

Developing an Attitude of Gratitude

Gratefulness comes more easily to some than others. When you’re discouraged or weighed down with negative thoughts, there are several things you can do to develop an “Attitude of Gratitude.”

  1. There’s wisdom in the phrase, “Count your blessings.” Listing the things for which you’re grateful can generate feelings of appreciation and gratitude. It’s often suggested to write them down on a daily basis. You can start with the fact that you have a brain, can write, and can read. Add small things, for example, seeing a child smile, receiving affection from a pet or greeting from a co-worker, or accomplishing a task, such as doing laundry or taking a walk. After several days, you’ll begin to look for things to add to your list and find that your mood significantly improves – faster than taking an anti-depressant.
  2. Read your list to someone. Sharing your grateful feelings doubles the effect. Arrange to regularly share you grateful lists and give thanks together. Praying together heightens your sense of connectedness and well-being.
  3. Express thanks daily. Doing so out loud has more power. In the morning and evening, and before meals, recite prayers of gratitude, or just say “Thank you (God) .”
  4. Thank others throughout the day for their help, particularly people you don’t ordinarily thank, such as cashiers. This is a recognition that you depend upon many people in order to survive and acknowledges your interdependent existence. The same is implicit in saying grace for the labor that goes into food on your table.
  5. Compliment people. Giving compliments shows appreciation and lifts others’ mood and yours.
  6. Put notes on your refrigerator, mirrors, and computer to remind you to be thankful.
  7. Think about people you appreciate. The act of visualizing them with positive feelings opens your heart to gratitude.
  8. Write people unexpected thank you notes. Writing your appreciation prompts loving feelings that engender gratitude.
  9. Do small acts of generosity, such as giving someone your place in line, helping someone pay for a purchase, or bringing food to a neighbor
  10. Thank yourself at the end of the day for things you did well. List at least three things. They may be small and include the above acts of gratitude.

In time, you’ll notice a change in your mood until your “cup runneth over” – or, at least appear half full rather than half empty.

©Darlene Lancer

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2 Comments

  1. Cathy | Treatment Talk on November 19, 2012 at 10:41 am

    Hi Darlene and Lisa,

    Great tips on gratitude. It does help our health in all ways to be appreciative of what life has to offer. I found this line interesting – “..our brains are predisposed to solve problems, and we take what makes us comfortable for granted.” We then need to make a conscious effort to feel gratitude. I like the journaling ideas as well. That has worked for me. Thanks for sharing and have a great Thanksgiving.

    • Darlene Lancer, MFT on November 19, 2012 at 8:13 pm

      Hi Cathy, Thank you for your feedback and contribution. Have a great, grateful Thanksgiving!

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