Gratitude Feels Great
by Nancy Sopkawiak
I had my first run-in with
gratitude as a child; my parents would insist I say “Thank
you” for EVERYTHING. At that time
I looked on gratitude the way I viewed brushing my teeth: it was one of those
things that grown-ups made you do. I didn’t realize it then, but the act
of thanking people taught me to appreciate the good things in life.
I love to read; my view of the world
has been influenced by some great books. I remember years ago reading
Dr. Victor Frankl’s “Man’s
Search for Meaning.” Dr. Frankl, a psychiatrist who survived
the Nazi prison camps, wrote about fellow prisoners who behaved with
grace and dignity in the camps. He witnessed amazing examples of
human compassion, such as men who walked through the camp comforting
others and giving away their bread. Dr. Frankl said this taught him
that no matter what happens, human beings can choose their attitude.
He called this the only freedom which cannot be taken away from us.
After reading his book, I began to look at my own life in a new light.
If prisoners of war could look on the bright side, I surely could
find something in my life to feel good about.
My favorite book about gratitude
is M.J. Ryan’s “Attitudes
of Gratitude.” She talks about the benefits of living gratefully
and how to practice gratitude in our lives. In the section titled “Gratitude
Promotes Health,” Ryan tells of a woman named Josephine who
healed a malignant brain tumor by feeling thankful about her life.
The theory behind this story is that “scientific research has
begun to indicate that positive emotions, such as gratitude and love,
have beneficial effects on health. They do so by strengthening and
enhancing the immune system [by releasing endorphins, which enable]
the body to resist disease and recover more quickly from illness.” Endorphins
have other positive effects, like killing pain. On the flip side, “negative
emotions such as worry, anger, and hopelessness” increase adrenaline
and slow down the healing process. I have found this to be true in
my own experience, especially dealing with chronic illness. The more
I focus on being grateful, the better I feel – emotionally
and physically.
Today is a good example of my relationship
with gratitude. I have had a nasty flu bug, and this morning I
woke up feeling pretty sick. My mind naturally drifts to the negative,
so I was thinking “Why
me?” and “It’s not fair.” (There were some
other thoughts as well, but you probably get the idea.) At some point
it occurred to me that my crummy attitude was making me feel worse.
That’s when I decided to work on this article, hoping to improve
my point of view. I started by reading my notes and books about gratitude.
Magically my outlook began to improve. This afternoon, as my thoughts
became hopeful, it occurred to me that “maybe I will get over
the flu someday.” Then my friend Stef called, which served
to remind me that I have wonderful friends and family to be grateful
for.
My step-son Ken says “Gratitude is very important, because
without gratitude you can’t be content.” As of now I
still have a stomach ache, but I don’t mind so much.
In closing, I would like to
suggest an experiment that I found in “Attitudes
of Gratitude.” Tomorrow morning pay attention to everything
that goes wrong or you don’t like: you run out of milk, traffic
is bad, you hate your boss, the weather is too hot. Then in the afternoon
focus on what is going well that you appreciate: you get a fun e-mail,
you have a nice lunch with friends, your dog is cute, your house
doesn’t burn down. You may want to write down your gratitude
list. At bedtime, think about your day—did you feel better
in the morning or in the afternoon? I would love to hear your observations.
My e-mail address is NancyLifeCoach@msn.com. ![]()
