Words of Gratitude for Mind, Body, and Soul : For Mind, Body and Soul

There are times when gratitude comes over us as a wave, lifting us higher than we can normally stand, then setting us back down on our feet after bringing us closer to God, write Robert A. Emmons and Joanna Hill. At other times it is our companion during our darkest moments, causing us to be grateful for the good in the midst of tragedy, encouraging us to believe that good can come even when we cannot understand our own suffering or the suffering of others. Words of Gratitude for Mind, Body, and Soul by Robert A. Emmons and Joanna Hill with an Introduction by Brother David Steindl-Rast offers words of encouragement and guidance, proverbs, and prayers, interspersed with highlights of recent psychological research measuring the effects of gratitude. Why is it good to feel gratitude? Are there things we can do to pull ourselves out of a state of anger and loss? Can we choose gratitude? What are the hindrances to gratitude? Clinical studies show that gratefulness tends to build and strengthen social bonds and friendship, while narcissism impedes the feeling of gratitude. Not only are those who practice gratitude happier, they are also healthier, exercise more frequently, and are more apt to be hopeful to others. Practicing gratitude does not buffer individuals from experiencing unpleasant emotional states. “Gratitude is...more than a feeling, a virtue, or an experience; gratitude emerges as an attitude we can freely choose in order to create a better life for ourselves and for others,” explains Brother David Steindl-Rast. “The Nigerian Hausa put it this way: Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.” There is a paradoxical aspect to gratitude, Emmons and Hill point out: the more grateful we are, the more reasons we have to be grateful. Lessons on cultivating gratitude come from most religious traditions. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, gratitude is an essential part of the religious experience. Psychologists are also looking at methods for helping people develop and experience gratitude. Emmons, who is professor psychology at the University of California, Davis explains several methods of cultivating gratitude, ranging from a conscious psychological tool; to a personal, creative path of self-expression; to a focused, spiritual practice, such as the Buddhist meditation technique, Naikan. And prayers can help people experience gratitude. Feeling gratitude, we attract goodness and good people into our lives; our gratitude turns into action. “Count your blessings and you will find them to be countless, even in the midst of adversity and tragic circumstances,” says Brother David. "Everything is, is freely given by the God of love. All is grace. Light and water, shelter and food, work and free time, children, parents, grandparents, life and death— it is all given to us. Why? So that we can say thanks; thanks to God, thanks to each other, thanks to all and everyone.” —Henri NouwenLearning how to experience gratitude involves being grateful as a attitude, not as a reaction when good things occur. One does not need to wait until things are perfect before being grateful; in fact, it may be just the opposite. It could be that the act of being grateful, in itself, makes one receptive to life’s blessings, and these blessings continue as we continue to be thankful.Various levels of gratitude and their importance to well-being are areas that author Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, has chosen to study and document. He has collected the thoughts of philosophers, theologians, and writers on the topic to illustrate the age-old process of giving thanks. He draws from various religions to show that gratitude is not exclusive to any one tradition, but might be a quality common to all.The study of gratitude is one that looks at moral barometers, emotions, and the effect this feeling has on health and happiness. In fact, G. K. Chesterton said, “The test of all happiness is gratitude.” Emmons draws from gratitude research projects that followed participants who were randomly selected to write down either the things they were grateful for or items of complaint over a period of ten weeks. The study showed that gratitude led to more positive emotional states and inspired people to be more helpful to others.The act of gratitude is one that provides gifts to the giver and receiver. The illuminating words of this book will inspire readers to recognize how truly blessed we are. This has been beautifully stated by the words of Brother David Steindl-Rast, “Love wholeheartedly, be surprised, give thanks and praise—then you will discover the fullness of your life.”HighlightsInspiring words on thankfulness from theologians, scientists, and writers Explanation of the importance of gratitude and the barriers to this process An overview of research that shows positive benefits of gratitude Annotation Learning how to experience gratitude involves being grateful as a attitude, not as a reaction when good things occur. One does not need to wait until things are perfect before being grateful; in fact, it may be just the opposite. It could be that the act of being grateful, in itself, makes one receptive to life's blessings, and these blessings continue as we continue to be thankful. The study of gratitude is one that looks at moral barometers, emotions, and the effect this feeling has on health and happiness. In fact, G. K. Chesterton said, "The test of all happiness is gratitude." Emmons draws from gratitude research projects that followed participants who were randomly selected to write down either the things they were grateful for or items of complaint over a period of ten weeks. The study showed that gratitude led to more positive emotional states and inspired people to be more helpful to others. The act of gratitude is one that provides gifts to the giver and receiver. The illuminating words of this book will inspire readers to recognize how truly blessed we are. This has been beautifully stated by the words of Brother David Steindl-Rast, "Love wholeheartedly, be surprised, give thanks and praise—then you will discover the fullness of your life." "The test of all happiness," said G.K. Chesterton, "is gratitude." Learning to experience gratitude involves being grateful as an attitude, not as a reaction when good things occur. To be grateful, one does not need to wait until things are perfect. In fact, practicing gratitude makes one receptive to life's blessings, and these blessings continue as we continue to be thankful. In one study, described by author Robert Emmons, participants who wrote about five things for which they were grateful experienced more positive emotional states and were more likely to help others over a period of ten weeks than were participants who wrote about the hassles and stressors they experienced during the same time. "Love wholeheartedly," says Brother David Steindl-Rast, "be surprised, give thanks and praise—then you will discover the fullness of your life." Gratitude provides gifts to both the giver and the receiver, and this illuminating book will inspire readers to recognize just how truly blessed we are. Preliminaries......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 7 Introduction......Page 11 What Is Gratitude?......Page 23 Gratitude through the Ages......Page 33 Cultivating Gratitude......Page 49 Research and Results of Gratitude......Page 69 Hindrances to Gratitude......Page 79 Praying for Gratitude......Page 85 References and Further Reading......Page 109 Acknowledgements......Page 113 Learning how to experience gratitude involves being grateful as an attitude. One does not need to wait until things are perfect before being grateful; in fact, it may be just the opposite. This book includes words which aim to inspire readers to recognize how truly blessed we are.