By Diane Atwood Health Reporter
It’s easy to be grateful when everything’s going your way, but feelings of gratitude can quickly disappear when you or everything around you is in upheaval. Dr. Robert Emmons believes that it is when we’re in crisis mode that we benefit the most from being grateful. He believes that because he has been researching gratitude for about 15 years and has written numerous papers and books on the subject and has come to realize its many benefits.
“In the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize,” he says. “In the face of brokenness, gratitude has the power to heal. In the face of despair, gratitude has the power to bring hope. In other words, gratitude can help us cope with hard times.”
Three steps to finding gratitude Dr. Emmons says there are three steps we can take to start us on the path to finding gratitude. The following are excerpts from “The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a life of happiness and wellbeing by giving thanks,” which he wrote.
Joy – look for the good To feel gratitude, we have to be attuned to the good in our lives, and this gives rise to joy, which is the pure and simple delight in being alive. Joy is especially treasured after a time when sorrow or grief has dominated our lives. Grateful reflection teaches us that we need to recognize the numerous ways in which the world supports, nurtures, and sustains us.
Grace – receive the good Once we see the good, we must learn to accept it, and absorb it into the very nature of our being, which is challenging because most of us are not used to getting something for nothing and want to earn whatever comes our way.
Love – give back the good Real gratitude promotes a desire to reflect the goodness received by creatively seeking opportunities for giving. This is love.
When you start to practice these three steps, it becomes easier and easier to find things to feel grateful about. It’s a good feeling and one that you almost always feel like sharing. Let’s do it! What are you grateful for today?
Listen to my podcast with Dr. Emmons
If you’d like to learn more about gratitude and its many benefits – even to your physical health – listen to my podcast with Dr. Emmons on CatchingHealth.com/podcast. You’ll also find the Catching Health with Diane Atwood podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. Diane Atwood, former WCSH 6 health reporter, now writes the award-winning blog Catching Health with Diane Atwood. n
