Be thankful to increase your joys

In the 17th Chapter in the book of Luke, there is a very interesting story that can teach us a thing or two about gratitude.

In this account, Jesus heals ten lepers and only one returned to express his thanks. In astonishment Jesus asked: “Were not all ten cleansed, where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

When I heard this message, I reflected about how I have had a lot to complain about and have focused very little on what I should be grateful for. I can assure you that the ten lepers were not stress-free for the rest of their days.

Possibly a month later, they were complaining about the heat or perhaps the rate of inflation. Forgotten was the disease and it is likely they joined the rest of us and started whining.

One of the things I have been emphasising  in this column this year is that a lot of the solutions of our problems lie within us.

The benefits of being grateful are virtually endless. People who regularly express gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they are thankful for feel more alive, experience more positive emotions, sleep better, show more kindness and compassion, and even have a stronger immune system.

Gratitude does not need to be reserved only for momentous occurrences. Sure, you may want to express gratitude after receiving a promotion at work, but you can also be grateful for something as simple as a delicious dinner.

Here are some ways to appreciate the good around you.
Keep a journal: Various studies show that simply keeping a gratitude journal, i.e. regularly writing brief reflections on moments for which you are thankful, can increase life satisfaction and well being.

Writing things down sometimes makes them more tangible.

Set a time: The particular means by which you go about counting your blessings will depend on your individual personality, needs and goals.

Rather than writing, some of you may choose a set time daily to simply contemplate each of your objects of gratitude and perhaps reflect on why you are grateful and how your life has been enriched.

Identify the good: Identify one thing each day that you usually take for granted and that normally goes unappreciated. You may also want to acknowledge one ungrateful thought per day and substitute it with a grateful one.

Get a gratitude partner: Family and friends can also help encourage your sense of appreciation. One way is to land a gratitude partner with whom you can share your list of blessings.

Get a person who encourages and prompts you if you lose motivation.

This partnership will help you see the commonplace details of your life through another person’s eyes, giving you a fresh perspective and making you appreciate them as though you were experiencing them for the very first time. Keep the strategy fresh: Keep the gratitude strategy exciting by varying it and not overdoing it.

For instance, if you count your blessings every day, in the same way, you may become bored with the exercise and may cease to extract much meaning from it.

You may count your blessings with respect to your loyal relationships, a steady work life or even life itself.

These methods will help make the expression of gratitude a meaningful practice, such that it continues to reinforce happiness instead of hitting a plateau.

Express gratitude directly: Finally, the expression of gratitude may be powerfully effective when done directly. If there is a particular person to whom you owe a debt of gratitude, expressyour appreciation in concrete terms.

This person could be your parent, a friend, a teacher, a supervisor or colleague.

Write them a letter now and, if possible describe in detail what he or she did for you and exactly how impacted your life.

Expressing gratitude for the things around you and making your life better takes away the focus from all the negativity that exists all around us.